The Flash: Rewriting History
by Clash of the Legends
Summary: After witnessing so much darkness in his life, and in the lives of those he cares about, Barry Allen has decided to do what he swore he'd never do again, alter the past. Barry Allen is unwavering in his determination to fix everything and nothing is going to stop him, not even Barry Allen.
1. To the Past

**Disclaimer: **The following is a nonprofit Fan based story; The FLASH and all related characters are owned by DC comics, the CW and anyone I may have missed.

**A/N:** OK so this story is post FLASH 1x16. This takes things from the Comics as well as the TV show and I put my own spin on things. Hope you enjoy it.

* * *

_The Flash: Rewriting History_

Chapter 1: To the Past

* * *

**April 24, 2024**

**-beep…beep…beep-**

Barry sat in the dark next to the comatose form of Dr. Caitlin Snow, their hands together and fingers intertwined, thanks to Caitlin's new abilities Barry's hand was undergoing some serious heat drainage, but thanks to shivering his hand at high speeds he could hold her hand. The only sounds that filled the faintly lit room were their steady breathing and the beeping from the computers.

It was because of him she was like this. Wires and IVs were hooked up all over her pale body; there was even a feeding tube that was shoved down her throat. He hated to see her like this but after the accident her skin had turned pale blue and in many parts became coated in ice. Her hair was now light blue and resembled more of icicles rather than hair while her body temperature was now always incredibly cold. The thermostat in the room read that the heat was on at about 90º F yet the room truly was about 20º F maybe even colder Caitlin's body was just continuously sucking up heat. It wasn't her fault, she just had no control.

Barry wiped a free strand of hair out of Caitlin's face and behind her ear. His fingers barely touched her but he felt the burning sensation as she drained the heat from leans in and kisses the comatose Caitlin's forehead. He can feel the heat leave his body and give his lips minor frostbite but he doesn't care.

"I am so sorry Caitlin…" He says as he stands up. His new suit was blue pieces of armor covering the majority of his body any gaps in it were filled with white lightning arcing all around him, providing a faint light in the dark room. Cisco had told him that this suit was far cooler than his old red one but Barry honestly couldn't decide or care.

"When you wake up, I won't be here." He says softly and sorrowfully before pulling his hood up and over his face. He reaches down and looks at a picture of him and Caitlin that was sitting on the comatose woman's side desk. Barry remembered that day so well, he could remember the reason they were both smiling happily. It was the day everything was going right for the first time in his life.

"When I'm done, I swear everything will be all right." And with those words he vanished in a blue flash.

* * *

**Present Day**

Barry strolled into the main Cortex at around three o'clock in the afternoon, without a whoosh. He was far more exhausted than ever today. After a long day at his day job and some hard training (courtesy of Cisco and Dr. Wells) Barry was looking forward to a night on the town with Cisco and Caitlin but an emergency Meta-human came up and it was back to the grind that is Team Flash.

"What, No whooshing today?" Caitlin asked as they all turned to him.

"Just didn't feel like it that's all." Barry replied truthfully. "After all the running I did yesterday I just need a short break."

"You're not hungry are you?" Cisco asked "If you are you should eat one of my special calorie bars."

"I'm not hungry Cisco. I had like four large Pepperoni, Anchovy, Mushroom and Olives pizzas, two Meat Lovers calzones, and like five Wild Berry Blast Slushies." The scarlet speedster replied as he brought his sixth slushy to his lips. "And that was just lunch."

"Well, so long as nothing is wrong." Caitlin said as she whirled back to her computer. "We are good to go."

"Alright!" Cisco was excited "Let's get over to the treadmill and see what's your new top speed!"

"Agreed." the paraplegic physicists said to his protege.

"Actually Dr. Wells, I was wondering if we could all just take the day off?" Caitlin and Cisco looked to Barry in confusion. He was never one to pass up developing his powers or stopping the bad guys. "I know, I know what you all are probably thinking but what could possibly happen if I take just one day off?"

"I completely understand where you are coming from Mr. Allen." Dr. Wells said to his greatest creation. "We are keeping your best interests in mind and I'm sure the city will be standing tomorrow. So all of you can take the day off."

"Thank you." Barry clapped his hands together in gratitude before turning to Caitlin and Cisco. "So what do you guys say? Want to make up for the night on the town that we missed yesterday?"

"Isn't it a little early for that sort of thing?" Caitlin questioned looking at the time.

"Then let's just go an hang out." Barry suggested "We could go to the mall, see a movie, eat a crap tone of food."

"I'm down for it." Cisco said as he slurped a cherry slushy. "What about you Caitlin?"

"No thanks." She replied as she put her coat on. "I have a few things I still need to do."

"Oh, come on Caitlin it'll be fun!" Cisco tried to coax his best friend into joining them, but she was adamant about not going.

The bio-engineer thought it over for a second before shaking her head. "I'm sorry guys but I have things I need to do."

"Oh yeah? Like what?" Barry asked as sucked down his own slushy. "Because honestly Caitlin, we established that you don't really have a life outside STAR Labs."

"Like you're one to talk?" She fired back trying to defend herself.

"Prove it." Cisco challenged. "And don't say you cook, read or watch Netflix."

Caitlin opened her mouth to respond but she couldn't think of anything to say.

"So that settles it" Barry took another sip of his slushy. "Dr. Snow is coming with us Cisco."

"Well, while you three figure out how to spend your day off I'm going to head home." Dr. Wells said as he drove out of the main lab. "

"Alright amigos let's go!" Cisco pumped a fist in the air as he took the lead of the three friends.

Barry flashed over to Caitlin and draped an arm over her shoulder "Oh, come on Dr. Snow. It'll be fun!"

"Just make sure I don't drink too much tonight." Caitlin asked the fastest man alive.

"I don't know about that. You get real fun when you're drunk." That earned Barry a playful slap.

"Hey! Are you two coming or what?" Cisco asked as he turned around

"Yeah, we're coming Cisco."

* * *

**April 24 2024**

Barry stood at the entrance of the Particle Accelerator. On the other side of those closed doors was his one last chance to save Caitlin. He knew the risks, if he succeeded this time line would no longer exist, but everyone would be safe.

-**I must protest Barry Allen. You have already attempted to alter the time line numerous times all to no avail-** Gideon the A.I. Barry and Cisco created about four years ago protested. -**There is no telling how much this next jump could affect the Speed Force-**

"Or it will save everyone Gideon!" Barry fired back. He reached over and opened the door to the pipeline. "When I hit Mach 2 Release the Hydrogen Atom."

-**Very well Mr. Allen. Should I leave any last words for Dr. Snow?- **Barry stood there silently for a moment.

"If she wakes up before the time line resets tell her I love her." and Barry took off into the Pipeline. Running around and pushing himself harder and harder with each step he approached his target speed within seconds.

-**Releasing Hydrogen Atom in 3...2...1...-** There it was flying towards him at nearly the same speed Barry could see his golden ticket.

"I'm coming Caitlin...Joe...Cisco...Iris...I promise I will save you all." **BOOM** In a roar of thunder Barry Allen was gone leaving behind nothing but the hovering portal to the past before it to faded from existence.

* * *

**Present Time**

Team Flash's night on the town basically became Bar hopping and they rendezvoused with Iris and Eddie. Right now The boys were dukeing it out on the pool table with Barry and Eddie going head to head while Cisco was a little more interested in using physics to predict each shot and telling both Barry and Eddie which shots to make.

Iris and Caitlin watched the boys have a blast while they both sipped their drinks.

"This is fun." Iris said to Caitlin. "I'm glad we all got together to just have some fun. It feels like we haven't done this in a long while."

"We honestly have not." Caitlin took another sip of her drink. Unlike her last bar experience she was being a lot more cautious of her alcohol intake, she absolutely refused to embarrass herself with singing karaoke on stage again. "And you're definitely right Iris, this is fun."

"Iris! Cait! Come on over here!" Both women turned to see Barry trying to get their attention. Apparently Barry just beat Eddie and said blond detective wanted a rematch.

"What?" Iris asked

"Team matches, You and Me against Barry and Caitlin." Eddie explained to his girlfriend.

"Me? No,no no no no." Caitlin was adamant against playing billiards sure the whole thing was physics and geometry but to be completely honest those were her worst subjects, even though she got an A- in each of them, when she was 14, and a senior in high school. "I am not partaking in shooting a ball across a table."

"Oh, come on Dr. Snow." Barry pleaded. "My only options are you or Cisco and our resident toy maker is a little too intoxicated." Caitlin looked over at Cisco to see him talking it up with the jukebox.

"Play me a song baby~!" Cisco pleaded before breaking off into a parody of Billy Joel's _Piano Man_. "Play me a song your'e the jukebox~! Play me a song tonight~! While we're all in the mood for a melody~! And you've got us feeling alright~!"

"Alright fine I'll play." Caitlin said as she swiped Barry's pool stick. "Rack 'em up." Eddie Complied and set up the pool balls. Once they were set up Caitlin set down the white ball and took aim before breaking and sending three solid colored balls into the pockets. She flashed Barry a smile. "Guess this means we're solids."

"We're so screwed..." Iris said smiling to her boyfriend who just looked flabbergasted that Caitlin was this good at pool.

"Damn...I should stick to playing you in operation." Barry said to Caitlin.

* * *

On the other side of Central City, in an alley, lighting began to crackle in the air and collect and in a brilliant flash of hot air and electricity the Flash burst through.

Having made it ten years into the past Barry collapsed to his knees desperately trying to catch his breath. "Huff…huff…Did I make it far enough?" He asked himself. After looking around Barry flashed over to a news booth and grabbed a newspaper (leaving the proper price, tax and tip) and read the date.

**-March 26, 2015-**

_FLASH STOPS CRIMINALS FROM ROBBING CASINO TRUCK _Judging from the article title and the article that followed. He had arrived just after Captain Cold, Heat Wave and Golden Glider tried to rob the mob casinos, which meant he was within his own first year as the Flash.

"Damn…I'm sorry Caitlin…I over shot it by a long shot…but," The Flash said looking down at one of the articles which had a picture of STAR Labs. "Now I can fix all the bad things that happened to us, all of us. And I'm going to start by stopping Thawne." The Flash then took off in a blue-white flash.

* * *

This is the end of the chapter

Please tell me what you liked, didn't like, look forward to/think will happen, or your general thoughts and comments, this'll help me make this story better, I'm a big boy so I can take criticism.

Have a Fantastic day


	2. Reverse Flash vs Future Flash

**Disclaimer: **The following is a nonprofit Fan based story; The FLASH and all related characters are owned by DC comics, the CW and anyone I may have missed.

**A/N:** Here's Chapter 2 turned out a little longer than expected I even cut out one part of it but hey, what are you gonna do about that?

WARNING! WARNING! CHAPTER CONTAINS CHARACTER DEATH READ AT OWN RISK TO FEELS!

* * *

_The Flash: Rewriting History_

Chapter 2: Reverse Flash Vs Future Flash

* * *

Harrison Wells wheeled into his house that evening. No sooner had he enter he stood up from his chair and strode to his kitchen. He grabbed a remote and hit several buttons. In response his fireplace roared to life and opera music began to play.

Now Dr. Wells, or Eobard Thawne as he was known back in his time, may have detested being stuck in the 21st century but even he had to admit it had its perks, he had so much free time he could spend it any way he wanted whereas in the future wasting time was illegal.

Growing up he idolized Barry Allen. He was his childhood hero and Eobard wanted to grow up and be just like Barry Allen but in an ironic twist of fate he because Barry's childhood hero while at the same time being his greatest enemy. Eobard's first time jump into the past did not go the way he was hoping, instead it propelled his fate.

He looked at his calendar and smirked to himself. In almost exactly fifteen years he would time travel for the first time, arriving five years after The Flash vanished from the world. Thinking about when he came from made him long for home even more, fourteen years was an awful long time to be stuck among the neanderthals, but thankfully Barry was well on his way to obtaining the speed necessary to travel through time.

And if Barry changed the past, saving his mother, as Thawne hoped he would, well let's just say it'll work out in the yellow speedster's favor in the end anyway.

You see unlike Barry Allen, who was more like a bullet through a glass window when it came to time travel, he was more likely to shatter existence destroying everything he cared about in the process, but when Eobard Thawne went through time he was like a rock being thrown into a stream, it displaces some of the water and ripples for a while before returning to nearly the same way it was before.

Wells poured himself a drink and as he sipped it there was an azure flash outside his house. Dr. Wells didn't notice the man that was now standing outside his house. The man was deep in thought as his mind drifted into his past, or future, depending on how one looks at it.

* * *

**September 24 2019**

Barry and Iris had been dating for the last three years and tonight Barry wanted to make it incredibly special, it was their three year anniversary after all. Barry and Iris were having a nice dinner in one of Central Cities most famous restaurants. The whole evening Iris had noticed how fidgety Barry was, he was like a kid on a sugar high, heck he had at least on of everything on the menu and he still seemed to have room for desert.

"I see you're wearing that bow tie." Iris pointed out as she took a sip of wine.

"Huh?" Barry snapped to attention when he heard Iris talking to him.

"I said you're wearing that red bow tie Caitlin gave you for your birthday four years ago."

"Uh, is it bad that I'm wearing it?"

"Oh god no." Iris replied "It looks real good on you. All red does actually. If any other girl besides Caitlin gave you that bow tie I think we'd have some problems." She said that last part with a hint of sarcasm but Barry didn't pick up on it, he'd been acting very fidgety all day and even more so now that they were on their date. "Hey are you feeling alright Barry?"

"Wait, what?" Barry asked flabbergasted. "Yeah I'm fine. I haven't felt this good in a while." He nervously took a sip of his wine, which they both knew had no effect on him.

"Barry what's got you acting so weird today?" Iris was starting to get a little annoyed that her boyfriend was acting so strangely, or at least stranger than normal. This was their three year anniversary and Barry promised that he wouldn't be leaving for anything since it was their night.

"Um, no reason." Barry managed to stutter out before taking her hands in his. "I always act weird." Iris gave him a knowing look. "OK, maybe I'm acting a little weirder than usual but I cannot tell. At least not right now." He said before glancing around the restaurant as if looking for someone.

"So, who're you looking for?" She asked her boyfriend suspiciously.

"Hm." Barry turned back to Iris letting his mind process her question. "Uh, no one Iris. Why would I be looking for someone when I have the most beautiful girl in the world on the opposite side of the table as me." He said that while taking Iris' hands in his own.

"Alright Barry." Iris said before leaning in and kissing him on the lips. While they were Kissing Barry kept his gaze on the door waiting for someone to walk in and she did, eventually.

"Uh, excuse me Iris. I, uh, I have to go to the bathroom." Barry excused himself from the table. Iris followed him with her eyes and she noticed Barry walking towards the entrance of the restaurant. At first she thought he was ditching her but that thought quickly phased out of her mind as she saw Barry talk with a brown haired woman, who looked suspiciously like Caitlin, before stuffing something into his pocket and returning to their table.

"That was fast." Iris said with a playful smile.

"Well, you know me. I've been doing everything faster." Barry smiled "Well, maybe except for one thing."

"Barry what are you talking about?"

"Iris, you and I have been best friends since forever." Barry said taking her hands in his own.

"Of course."

"And you know I've been in love with you long before I even knew what love was."

"What are you getting at Barry." Iris had an idea exactly where Barry was going with this little speech of his. It was hitting the mark of each and every cliche proposal from romance movies. In no way did she not like it, in fact she loved it as it made the fire in her chest for Barry Allen burn even brighter.

"Well, what I'm trying to say is that, my entire life I feel like I've been living in a marathon. Running from one place to another always trying to be the first. I even tried to be there for you every time you felt down so that you'd see me. But with you, it seems like I was always too slow, but now I know that sometimes slow and steady wins the race. I guess what I'm trying to say is its time to cross the finish line." Iris' eyes widened as she watched Barry drop to one knee and pull out a small black box from his pocket. "Iris West will you marry me?" She was mesmerized by the beauty of the ring. It was a golden band with a violet stone imprinted in an eight pointed star design.

Tears of joy began to well up in her eyes and she vigorously nodded. "Yes! Yes! Yes! Of course I'll marry you Bartholomew Allen!" And after he slipped the ring onto her finger she leaped into his arms and kissed him on the lips. "You left the ring at STAR Labs earlier didn't you?" Iris whispered in his ear.

"What gave it away?"

"I saw you meeting with Caitlin when you 'went to the bathroom.' She obviously brought you the ring." there was a hint of a chuckle in her voice. She thought it was kind of Funny that Barry had the whole thing planned out and completely forgot the ring.

"Alright you caught me. This doesn't change your answer right?"

"No Mr. Allen it does not."

"I love you soon to be Iris Allen." Barry said even though he knew what she would say in response.

"iris Allen...doesn't seem to have a ring to it." Barry chuckled at the slight pun she made. "How about I hyphenate?"

"Iris West-Allen, I love it almost as much as I love you."

* * *

**Present Time**

"Dr. Wells." Dr. Wells turned and came face to face with a man he had never seen before.

"Who the hell are you?"

"You know who I am, Thawne!" In an instant his attacker grabbed Wells by the throat and pinned him into a wall. "You will pay for what you did!" Wells grappled with his assailant's arm before vibrating himself through the wall behind him.

In the following instant Eobard Thawne was back in his house, this time he was wearing his Reverse Flash costume. Without warning he landed a brutal kick to the back of the Blue Flash's skull. He sped around and delivered an uppercut to his jaw. "I think I figured out who you are, Barry." The Blue Flash stood back up and wiped a trail of blood from his nose. "I must say I like the new suit, I kind of miss the red, it had a classic feel to it but otherwise this isn't too shabby."

"I got some upgrades to my suit." Barry said. "And I'm far faster than the last time you fought me!"

Barry blitzed over to Dr. Wells and attempted to punch him but the Reverse Flash was too quick as he moved out of the way, grabbed a knife and sliced at the Flash's chest. The Future Flash moved out of the way at light speed and the swept his arch-enemy's legs out from underneath him, but the Man in the Yellow Suit jumped over his legs and kicked Barry in the jaw.

"Let's take this race outside Flash, I don't want to get any blood on my new carpet." Thawne said menacingly before he took off in a blur of yellow and red followed closely behind a blue-white blur. "Looks like you can keep up with me."

"We've played this game before Thawne!" Future Barry yelled back. "I'm every bit as fast as you!"

"Well then, let's test that!" There was a might boom as the two speedsters broke the sound barrier. They ran through the streets. They ran on the river. They even ran through the salt flats, kicking up a small dust storm as they did. All the while they pushed each other to go faster and faster until all that could be seen of them were just yellow and blue blurs.

As the duo of speedsters tore it up towards the city Barry Allen's mind began to drift to what Thawne had done to his wife.

* * *

**July 11 2021**

Iris West-Allen sat at home on the couch reading over some of the notes she took for her next article regarding the Flash. Even thought today was one of her rare days off, Iris was not one for sitting around doing nothing. She was constantly active, trying to accomplish something while she was waiting for her husband Barry Allen, the Flash, to come home. She had just dropped off their twin children off at daycare so that meant she and Barry had the entire house to themselves for the foreseeable future.

There was a rush of air behind her and with a smile Iris turned around and there before her stood the man in the yellow suit.

"**Hello Iris**." His glowing red eyes seemingly peered into her soul as he spoke with a slightly humorous tone as if mocking her.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Iris West-Allen demanded putting up a strong front.

"**Hm,"** The Reverse-FLash reached down and picked up Iris's notes reading them over in an instant.**'"Flash stops the Rouges once again.'**** Cute. I've always been a fan of your work Miss West, or should I say West Allen?" **

Subtly she tried to reach for her phone to contact Barry, she had to let him know the amount of danger she was in so that he could come and save her. There was a whoosh and suddenly the Reverse Flash was even closer to her this time he was mockingly waving her phone in his hand. "**Did you think you could contact your husband before I could reach you? **** Now Please don't try anything stupid, I'm just here to get your answer**." Iris had no idea what the Reverse Flash was talking about, but at the same time she couldn't find the courage to speak.

"Answer to what?" Iris asked to which the Reverse-Flash smirked beneath his vibrating face.

"**You don't eve remember our last conversation? Shame, guess I'll just have to ask you again.** **A****re you going to leave your husband and come with me**?" He reached out his hand offering her to take it. Ever since he discovered Iris West-Allen he had been enamored with her, it started back when he was simple professor at the Flash Museum. For him, it was love at first sight but there was one obstacle in his way, Barry Allen, the man he grew to hate, his hero who stole everything from him, so now it was only fair that Thawne take away Iris, the one who meant the world to the Flash.

Iris was stunned. The Reverse-Flash wasn't here to kill her. He was here to take her away from Barry. "You want me to go with you?"

"**Yes, back to the future with me. To the year 2190." **His voice sounded genuinely caring. And Iris would be lying to herself if she said she wasn't curious. In fact she unconsciously began to reach out to take his hand before the reality set in and she slapped his hand away.

"I'll never leave Barry!" she declared "I love him too much! And even if I did not I would never love a monster like you!"

"**So that is? That's your answer?" **With a heavy sigh the Reverse-Flash raised his right hand before it vibrated at extreme speeds. "**I am truly sorry, This could have all been avoided if you chose me.**" In an instant he rammed his hand through Iris' chest; she didn't even get the chance to react as the blow killed her instantly and painlessly. "**I never liked killing those I love**."

* * *

An hour later Barry Allen arrived home carrying a bouquet of flowers for his beautiful wife, he was always late to everything. Today he was going to be on time but he decided to stop and buy some flowers for Iris, their anniversary was coming up quickly after all, OK maybe not since their wedding anniversary was technically in January.

He took out his key and happily opened the door to Joe's old house, Joe gave it to them as a wedding present and when they tried to give it back to him Joe simply told them he already bought a small condo for himself, especially since they were going to need it with Dawn and Don eventually. "Iris? Honey, I'm home!" when there was no response, which was odd, usually his wife would welcome him home if she were there before him.

**SPLISH **Barry took a few steps forward but stopped suddenly when her heard a tiny splash as if he stepped in a puddle. looking down Barry's eyes grew wide with fear as he saw his feet standing in a pool of blood. his gaze followed the pool and up its river until he saw something that tore his world apart. Laying on the ground was his wife, dead with blood pooling all around her.

"IRIS!" Barry yelled and in moments he was cradling her dead body, he didn't really care that he was contaminating the crime scene because right now his emotions clouded his forensic mind. "Iris? Iris please..." tears and snot mixed as they flowed down Barry's face. "please... you can't be..." he couldn't even bring himself to say the word. "Please...don't be gone...I...I love you..." Through the tears he noticed red on the wall and looking at it he saw six words written in what Barry could only assume was Iris' blood.

**Guess Who Killed Your Wife Barry?**

Anger filled Barry's heart as he buried his head in the crook of his dead wife's neck. Once again Barry was too late. Once again the Reverse-Flash killed someone he loved. "I swear to you Iris...I'm going to kill him...When I see him next I'm going to kill him for what he's done!"

* * *

**Present Time**

The Reverse Flash and The Blue Flash raced through the streets of Central City leaving behind trails of red and blue lightning with every step they took. They were equal in speed and trading blows as they ran. When they returned to the badlands and the salt flats that lay beyond Eobard Thawne felt his powers waver and he began to slow down.

"Not now" Were the only two words he managed to say as he lost feeling in his legs. He fell forward and tumbled to the ground cutting himself along the pavement and asphalt. Barry saw an opportunity and kicked Wells right in his jaw before landing about fifty punches all over his evil counter part's body and in the following heartbeat the Future Flash was right on top of the Reverse Flash and held him in a strong headlock with his left arm crushing Dr. Well's windpipe. Wells began to flail frantically in an attempt to free himself as his vision began to blacken and he began to lose consciousness.

The Blue Flash grabbed a hold of the Reverse Flash's mask and yanked it off his head "I should kill you Thawne." Flash said in his old enemy's ear.

"You won't do it Barry." Wells managed to spit out. "You've never actually killed anyone before. You don't have the stomach for it."

"Last time I let you go you killed my wife, you had your freaking pet kill my kids, then you tried to kill my fiancé!" Barry said. Wells felt his grip getting tighter. "I won't be making the same mistake twice."

"Then do it." Wells taunted. "Kill me, stop all the things I've ever done from happening." He continued to goad the Cobalt Comet. "Do it! Snap my neck! Choke me out! Crush my trachea!"

"You sure talk a lot for a man who's about to get his windpipe crushed." Barry said as he thought to one of the most defining moments in his life, the first time he took a life.

* * *

**December 27 2023**

Streaks of Blue and Red tore through the streets of Central City as Barry Allen chased down his arch-nemesis.

"**This is fun isn't it Flash****!"** The Reverse-Flash chuckled. "**It's not every day all three of the women you love get killed by the same man!"**

The Flash gritted his teeth, he already lost his mother and Iris to this monster, he'd be damned if he lost Caitlin as well. "I won't let you touch Caitlin!" Barry yelled back.

"**Y****ou don't have a choice in the matter!**" The man in yellow veered to the right and raced down the familiar street towards Barry's old House, the one he and Caitlin bought and were currently living in, it was also the sight of their small engagement party.

They punched through the window as they had and will do eventually on the fateful night of Nora Allen's murder. They moved so fast all the guests in the house were at a standstill even Caitlin who they were running towards.

"**THE LEGACY OF THE FLASH DIES WITH YOU!"** Thawne cocked his right arm and began to vibrate it at super speeds aiming for Caitlin's heart. Barry's eyes widened and his heart skipped a beat and in that moment he felt a surge of power like he never felt before.

"NO!" Barry shouted as he latched his arms around The Reverse-Flash's neck and planted his feet into the ground.

**SNAP** A sickening noise filled the air as the two speedsters skidded to a stop and the man in yellow collapsed lifelessly to the ground between Barry and Caitlin. Both of them looked down at the lifeless body of their oldest enemy before looking into each other's eyes.

"Barry...?" Caitlin's voice quivered barely over a whisper so no one else could hear. It was never easy for her to watch someone die, but seeing Barry kill the Reverse-Flash, even unintentionally, was extremely disheartening.

Barry looked around to see the guest that were there begin to murmur about how their beloved Flash had just committed murder.

"He just killed that man."

"I thought he was a hero."

"My kids looked up to this guy. He's a murderer."

Barry looked over to Caitlin his eyes sad and remorseful. He opened his mouth to speak but he couldn't find the words. He doesn't know what to do, he's frozen in fear. "I'm sorry..." He mouths in her direction before disappearing in a flurry of blue electricity.

* * *

**Present Time**

"You won't do it." Wells said smirking.

Barry tightened his arms more, he really wanted to kill Eobard Thawne and save Iris and his kids but he knew the consequences of messing time. If he killed Thawne here and now a younger version of Eobard Thawne would most likely come to the past, one that hadn't killed Nora, and if he did anything to the younger Reverse Flash he could potentially erase the Flash and himself from existence.

"You're right." His grip around Well's head and neck loosened slightly. "I can't kill you. I want to kill you so badly because of what you did to Iris, ad you truly deserve it, but I can't. I need you to exist; I need you to guide my younger self. I need you to be the Reverse Flash."

"You finally understand the circle of time that we two are trapped in." Eobard Thawne said smirking though his bloodied mouth.

"I need you to be the Reverse Flash so that I can become the Flash." Future Barry said simply

"And I need you to become the Flash so that I can become the Reverse Flash."

"It appears we have hit a roadblock Thawne."

"Yes we have Mr. Allen."

Barry raised his right hand and it began to vibrate wildly with blue-white electricity arcing all over it. "In that case, I'm just going to take something of value away from you."

"What are you do-" With little warning the Future Flash shoved his vibrating hand into Dr. Well's lower back. The time traveling physicist screamed in pain as a massive amount of crimson lightning was discharged from his body.

Dr. Wells lay in the middle of scorched earth struggling to move, but he couldn't feel his legs at all, and now all the cuts and bruises that he had weren't healing. He glared up at the Blue Flash that stood above him. "What…did you do…to me?" he demanded.

"I took away the thing you cared about most, your connection to your Speed Force." Future Barry said "Now you cannot us it to hurt anyone I care about again." And with those words he took off in a blur of blue and white, leaving behind the heavily wounded time traveler in his misery.

* * *

This is the end of the chapter

Please tell me what you liked, didn't like, look forward to/think will happen, or your general thoughts and comments, this'll help me make this story better, I'm a big boy so I can take criticism.

Have a Fantastic day


	3. The Pieces Begin to Move

**Disclaimer:**The following is a nonprofit Fan based story; The FLASH and all related characters are owned by DC comics, the CW and anyone I may have missed.

Thanks to all of you who reviewed and waited patiently; **edboy4926**, **ISeeItIShipIt**, **Thegirlwonder09**, **20080634**

* * *

_The Flash: Rewriting History_

Chapter 3: The Pieces begin to Move

* * *

"Argh..." Eobard Thawne struggled to pull himself along the ground. He couldn't feel his legs nor could he feel the Speed Force surging through him. In pain he activated Gideon. "Gideon...huff..." He was out of breath and exhausted. "What's happened to me?"

-**It appeares that the Barry Allen from the Future has severed your connection to the Speed Force.-**

"Impossible! Is there any way to reverse it?"

**-Negative- **The Computer replied.

Eobard Thawne bellowed out a blood curling scream of pure agony and hatred. "I need to contact Grodd..." Wells said to himself as he regained his composure._ 'Grodd! Grodd!'_ He began to call out the name of the gorilla he had developed a close bond with. 'During one of his last meetings with the ape Wells and Grodd developed a psychic link so as to better communicate with the ape.

_'Fa...ther...'_ Grodd's voice came into Well's head to the relief of the paralyzed former speedster.

_'Listen to me Grodd I need you to come to the Salt Flats and get me.'_

_'Of...course...Father...'_

_'And hurry up Grodd!'_

* * *

While Eobard Thawne was left alone in Salt Flats heavily injured and without his speed Team Flash was having a good time just hanging out together at Joe's house. After Caitlin humiliated Eddie and Barry in their first round of pool Eddie and Barry decided to make it Boys vs Girls, in which case the Girls absolutely destroyed the boys.

After a night of fun Eddie and Iris bid their friends farewell and headed back to their appartment while Team FLash went to Barry and Joe's house to continue the evening. Shortly after arriving they decided to watch a movie and Cisco insisted that they watch Back to the Future Part 1 though none of them could see the irony in the situation just yet.

"I can't believe you've never seen Back to the Future Caitlin." Cisco said walking in carrying a large bowl of popcorn. "It should be a crime against humanity to not see this trilogy." The young engineer sat between his two best friends on the couch.

"Sorry I wasn't born until the end of the 80's." Caitlin replied taking a handful of popcorn from the bowl.

"Cisco and I were both born right at the beginning of the 90's and we still saw this movie." Caitlin just rolled her eyes at Barry's comment. "Still, ever since you and Joe told me that I am going to the past I can't help but think I'm Marty Mcfly."

"If that's the case you've got to refrain from breaking the two laws of time travel." Cisco pointed out. "You can't interact with yourself and you should refrain from altering the time line."

"Yeah, well Marty altered the time line and everything turned out better." Barry argued.

"At the cost of the family he knew." Cisco retorted. "Marty effectively replaced his family with complete strangers."

"So you're saying if Barry were to go back in time and say change something he could effectively erase us?" Caitlin asked trying to follow what the two time travel nerds were talking about.

"Pretty much." Cisco said "Well, maybe not us. Just those directly involved with what he changes."

Barry knew Cisco was right when he traveled back in time to the first night Mark Mardon was back in town everything changed, Iris had no idea she confessed her feelings to him or that they kissed or that he was the Flash, Captain Singh was no longer in a coma from Mardon's attack and Joe was safe, plus no tsunami about to hit the city was also a good sign. But the more Barry thought about it the more he began to wonder, just before he had gone to the past Caitlin was about to tell him something about Dr. Wells but because everything changed she never learned whatever it was she was going to tell him.

"Yeah, well I like to think about what would happen if I could save my mom." Barry said hopefully as he leaned further back into the sofa.

Cisco grabbed the remote and resumed the movie. Barry's phone went off in his pocket. "Hey Joe." Barry said

_"Hey Barry where are you?"_

"I'm at home with Cisco and Caitlin." Barry explained

_"OK, you may want to sit down 'cause you're not going to believe this."_

"Try me."

_"Dr. Wells was just admitted to the hospital."_ Barry's eyes widened.

"What!? Is he OK? Why's he in the hospital?"

_"I don't know, but it looks like he was attacked. We got a call and when we arrived on scene it looked like a robbery gone wrong."_

"What happened?" Cisco and Caitlin looked at Barry trying to read his expression. Just what was Joe saying to Barry.

_"Best we can figure someone entered Dr. Wells' home beat the crap out of him and even shot him. We don't even know if anything was stolen We had Dr. Wells' moved to the hospital, he's in critical condition right now. And Barry, there's one more thing."_

"What?"

_"Wells told me it was the Reverse-Flash, and there is surveillance that shows the man in yellow entering the house after Wells."_ Barry's eyes went wide with shock and rage. Sure for a while he was starting to suspect Wells of being the man who killed his mother, but this, this disproved the only lead they had to the Reverse-Flash and freeing Henry Allen.

"Alright we'll be there soon." Barry said hanging up angrily.

"Barry what's going on?" Caitlin asked as Barry grabbed the remote and shut the TV off.

"It's Dr. Wells." Barry explained trying to suppress his anger. "He's in the hospital. Someone broke into his house and shot him" It really hurt him to not tell his friends about his suspicions of Wells, he wanted to make sure his theory was true first, because he knew that they would be just as devastated as him to learn that the man they all looked up to was in fact the psychopath that murdered Barry's mother.

"Oh my god…" Cisco said "We've got to get over there now!" They all grabbed their jackets and put them on.

"I'll meet you guys there." Barry said as he took off in a red blur.

* * *

Eobard Thawne sat in the hospital bed looking out the window at the 21st Century version of Central City. Being truly confined to this contraption was annoying for a man who came from 2190 where trivial things like illness and injuries were minor inconveniences in the grand scheme of things. Unconsciously Wells rubbed the space between his left collar bone and his pectoral muscle, the place where he had Grodd shoot him. They had to make it look convincing.

* * *

**Two Hours Ago**

Grodd carried his father into his House and laid him down on the bed.

"Good boy Grodd, now Break the front door." Wells ordered.

_'Why?'_ Grodd asked. _'Shouldn't we hunt Flash?'_

"In time." Wells said "Now break. The. Door." Grodd walked over to the front door of the house and smashed it with his fist. "Good." Thawne forced himself up and opened a secret compartment next to his bed and pulled out a pistol and held it out for Grodd to take. "Now, take this gun and shoot me."

_'Father?'_ The Gorilla was confused as he took the weapon, his father wanted him to hurt him? _' You want me to shoot you father?'_

"Like I said, we have to make this convincing." With difficulty Grodd pointed the gun at Wells and shot him right under his left collar bone. "AGH!" Wells yelled in pain as he clutched the new bullet wound. He flashed a wicked grin to his primate son. "Good boy, now Alter the surveillance footage so that it only shows me in my suit entering and exiting here. And when you're done with that you need to get the hell out of here and hide."

_'I can't leave you Father.'_ Grodd was worried

"DON't WORRY ABOUT ME!" Thawne yelled in anger before calming down. "If you don't the Flash who did this to me will come looking for you for something you will do to his children. And we both need you to carry out what ever it is you will eventually do."

_'Yes Father.'_ Grodd headed off to complete the task left for him while Wells crawled over to the nearest phone.

"911 what's your emergency?"

"Help..." Thanwe said weakly into the speaker. "Someone broke into my house...I've been shot..."

"Stay on the line sir we'll trace the call and have a dispatch to your location."

"Thank you."

* * *

**Present Time**

"Dr. Wells?" Wells turned as a nurse knocked on his door. "Detective West would-" She suddenly went ridged and stopped all movement. "Father Are is safe?" She asked clearly she was no longer in control as a large gorilla was now occupying her mind.

"I'm fine, did you relocate? Odds are Flash knows where to find you."

"I moved. Flash won't fine me."

"Good. Good. As long as you stay safe Grodd, I still have wonderful plans for you."

"-like to speak to you." The Nurse finished as if she was never mind controlled by Grodd in the first place. "About the break in."

"Send him in, I'm sure he has a lot of questions."

* * *

Barry arrived at the hospital a few seconds later. He briskly walked up the nurses' desk.

"Hi, um, I'm here to see Harrison Wells."

"Are you a family member?" the nurse asked "Unless you're a family member I can't let you in right now."

"Um, no I'm not a family member." Barry said "I'm just" He swallowed hard when he said the next few words. "a real good friend."

"I'm sorry sir, but I can't let you in unless you're family."

"Please…" Barry begged. "You've got to let me see Dr. Wells. He was there for me when I was in the hospital."

"Barry!" Barry and the nurse turned to see Joe walking towards them. "I'm so sorry about him Ma'am." Barry gave Joe a look. "He's with me, this is a police investigation after all."

"Oh, of course Detective West." The nurse said changing her tune.

As the Detective and the Forensic Scientist began to walk down the hall Barry turned to Joe. "So, Dr. Wells isn't the Reverse Flash." That wasn't a question.

"I can't say Barry, mainly because Wells is paralyzed from the waist down."

"Like really paralyzed? Are we sure he isn't faking it or something?"

"Just as he's always been" Joe finished "If anything it's like our mysterious man in yellow is just trying to throw us off his trail, by making us think it is Wells."

* * *

Meanwhile Cisco and Caitlin were driving as fast as they could. They were both worried about Dr. Wells after all this wasn't the first time he had been attacked by someone who was hurt by the Particle Accelerator.

"What could have happened to Dr. Wells?" Caitlin asked from behind the wheel of her car.

"Barry didn't say, but judging from his expression I'd say it it had something to do with the Reverse Flash."

"Why would the Reverse Flash attack Dr. Wells at a time like this?"

"Who knows" Cisco said shrugging his shoulders as they arrived at the hospital.

As they got out of the car neither of them noticed The Man in the blue suit standing quite a ways away from them, his gaze fixed on Caitlin.

He closed his eyes and ran towards her so fast that both she and Cisco were nearly frozen in time. If there was one thing he enjoyed about his super speed it was his ability to almost literally make every moment with the people he loves last forever.

Future Barry gently caressed Caitlin's cheek with his hand as a tear formed in his eye. Staring into her eyes he almost lost himself in their beauty as they pulled him in.

* * *

**May 13 2015**

"SURPRISE! Happy Birthday Barry!" Everyone congratulated the Scarlet Speedster as he entered into the West house. Barry was really surprised when he walked in the door, he thought everyone forgot it was his birthday which was unusual considering there was no possible way Iris and Joe could forget, though having to deal with Captain Cold and the escaped Meta-humans and the Reverse-Flash the day before might have distracted everyone from his birthday.

"Guys" Barry said happily as he quickly scanned the room, everyone was here; Joe, Iris, Cisco, Oliver, Felicity, Thea, Roy, Diggle, Layla, Baby Sara, Laurel, Ray, Ronnie, and Caitlin 'Raymond' he corrected himself but he was never going to call her that, it didn't have as nice a ring as Caitlin Snow. He was pulled out of his thoughts as Iris came up and gave him a kiss. Flushed red and smirking like an idiot Barry kissed her back before addressing the guests. "You didn't have to do this. Seriously I wasn't even expecting a small party."

"Dude, you thought we weren't gonna throw a fiesta for our favorite speedster?" Cisco asked "That's just stupid."

"Yeah, we'd never miss it." Felicity said as she hugged Barry "Oh, right. We got you a present." Felicity turned around and pulled out a green bag before handing it off to Barry.

"Felicity got you a present." Oliver corrected "I didn't think you needed one."

"Here you go Barry." Caitlin said handing Barry a small red box. As he put the green bag down

"Thanks Caitlin." Barry said before shaking the box to try and figure out what was inside.

"Just open it."

Lust like with the other gifts Barry slowly opened the wrapping paper before opening the box in front of his audience. Inside was a red bowtie, plain and simple.

"A bowtie" Barry said taking it out of the box.

"For the record it was all Caitlin's idea." Ronnie chimed it thinking Barry didn't like the bowtie.

"Thanks Caitlin" Barry subconsciously hugged his friend a little tighter than he did Felicity. "I love it."

"You don't think it's stupid?" Ronnie interjected which caused Barry and Caitlin to break their hug.

"No, it's perfect. You even got it in my favorite color. Thank you."

"Hey, let's get this Party Started!" Cisco called out.

* * *

**Present Time**

"I love you Caitlin…and I hope you forgive me for what I'm about to do." His lips touched hers for an instant but for him it felt like an eternity. He slowly pulled away and gazed into her brown eyes once more. "I'm so sorry…Caitlin…for everything…" And in an instant he vanished in a flash.

Caitlin just stopped walking causing Cisco to bump into her.

"What's the deal Caitlin? Why'd you stop suddenly?" Caitlin was just looking around she could have sworn she felt something or someone touch her, hell even kiss her but maybe she was just not thinking clearly. "Caitlin" Cisco finally snapped her out of her thoughts "You OK?"

"Huh, uh, yeah. I'm fine." She stuttered "Just worried about Dr. Wells, that's all." Cisco gave her a look. "I mean who could it have been that attacked him?"

"Dunno, Pied Piper might be back." Cisco said as he thought about his arch-nemesis Hartley Rathaway.

"The way Barry reacted it sounded like it could be anyone."

"Well, let's go make sure our boss is OK, then we'll figure out how to get back at the jerk that did this."

* * *

Five Minutes Later Cisco and Caitlin had joined Barry around Dr. Wells.

The physicist had regained consciousness and was silently looking back at his two employees, arch nemesis and the detective.

"I suppose you all want an explanation." Wells said he pushed himself up into a sitting position.

"Please." Barry said a bit forcefully with his arms folded over his chest.

"I was attacked" Wells simply said. "By the Reverse-Flash." Team Flash leaned in to hear the physicist's story about how the Reverse-Flash Attacked him in his home and shot him. When Wells was finished Barry stood up and without another word he left the hospital room.

"Barry…" Caitlin was about to go after him but Joe took her arm.

"Give him some space Caitlin." Detective West said "The Reverse-Flash just attacked and almost killed Dr. Wells again, and we still don't know why."

* * *

After walking out of the room Barry slowly left the Hospital, he needed the fresh air, especially after what Dr. Wells had told them. He sat quietly on a bench, his hands resting on his lap as he hunched over and stared off at the ground. For the last week or so Barry adamantly believed Dr. Wells was the man who murdered his mother and framed his Father, but now if the Reverse Flash did attack Wells then who was he? Either way it put Barry back to square one.

"Hey, you okay?" Barry looked up to see Caitlin standing over him. Apparently she didn't listen to Joe when he told her to give Barry some space.

"Huh? Yeah I'm fine."

"Hm." His tone didn't convince Caitlin as she raised an eyebrow and folded her arms across her chest as if she could see directly through his bullshit. "Barry Allen, as your personal physician it's my job to make sure you're healthy and unhurt, both physically and emotionally."

"Cait, I'm fine." Barry insisted. "Really."

"You know there is still doctor-patient confidentiality between us." Caitlin fixed her skirt and sat down next to the Flash. "What ever's bothering you you can tell me. I won't tell anyone else."

Barry smiled. It was just like Caitlin to try and make him feel better when he was upset or down. "I really don't know any more Caitlin." He tensed slightly when Caitlin placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Dr. Wells is going to be fine Barry you'll see, and once he's out of there we'll capture the Revere-Flash together and get your dad out of prison."

"I don't think we ever will." Barry's response and tone caught Caitlin off guard. The normally happy go-lucky Barry Allen sounded so down troughed, defeated, and hopeless. "Every time we seem to get close to finding the man in yellow something bad happens and sets us back to square one. For the last two week I was so sure that Dr. Wells was the Reverse Flash I just…I just don't know what to do anymore. If what Wells said was true and he was attacked by the Reverse-Flash then Joe, and I have been investigating an innocent man while the real killer's been out there running circles around us."

Dr. Snow didn't really know how to respond to Barry. If he was investigating Wells then there was a good chance he was being suspicious of her and Cisco. "You've been investigating Dr. Wells without telling me or Cisco? I thought we were friends!"

"We are, I just…"

"You just what Barry?" Caitlin felt betrayed by Barry. He'd been investigating her boss, mentor and father-figure for the murder of his mother and he didn't bother telling either Cisco or herself about this. "What you thought we'd try and stop you from ruining Dr. Wells life? Or did you think if he was the Reverse Flash then Cisco and I were working with him? I mean how can you possibly think he murdered your mother? He's mentored you and saved your life, multiple times."

"Cait…I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys but now that I know he isn't the man in yellow I cannot help but worry for all of you. Whoever the man in yellow is, it puts all of you in danger; Joe, Iris, Cisco, you…"

"Barry…" Caitlin's voice sounded tired and a little disappointed to Barry. But her tone seemed to change when she took his hand and squeezed it reassuringly. Barry was glad Caitlin was here right now. He needed her to be that friend to help him up when he falls. "We'll find him Barry. We'll find him the same way we've found other meta-humans."

"Pure Lucky?" Barry asked smirking.

"Together." Caitlin replied which made Barry relax and smile. "Now let's go back inside and figure out what to do next."

"Go ahead, I'll be up in a minute."

"I'll hold you to that Barry." Caitlin said standing up and heading back into the hospital.

Barry was about to head back inside when the sound of thunder and a rush of wind drew his attention. The Flash turned around and found himself face to face with a man in a blue suit that seemed more like armor. He looked like he was made of electricity with the blue-white lightning arcing all over his body.

"_**Barry Allen**_" His voice was distorted so as to disguise who he was, just like the reverse Flash. "_**I've come for you**._" In a flash of blue electricity he grabbed Barry and they both were gone.

* * *

This is the end of the chapter

Please tell me what you liked, didn't like, look forward to/think will happen, or your general thoughts and comments, this'll help me make this story better; I'm a big boy so I can take criticism.

Have a Fantastic day


	4. The Man Who Stole the Future

**Disclaimer:**The following is a nonprofit Fan based story; The FLASH and all related characters are owned by DC comics, the CW and anyone I may have missed.

Thanks to all of you who reviewed and waited patiently; **Raquel, Guest, ISeeItIShipIt, brico4899, **and **deliriouz2468**

OK so after half of my summer escaping me I've finally found time to write and I have gotten back into my grove for writing, hopefully I can keep this pace going so I can update even faster.

* * *

_The Flash: Rewriting History_

Chapter 4: The Man Who Stole the Future

* * *

Barry groaned in pain as his assailant slammed him into a steel floor. He rolled until he was on his back looking up at his lightning clad attacker.

"Who are you?" The Flash demanded

"_**You may not know who I am Barry Allen, but I know more about you than you know about yourself**_."

"Dr. Wells said the Reverse Flash attacked him, but I can see that you aren't him."

"_**I am not the one who attacked Dr. Wells**_. _**I was engaged in combat with the Reverse-Flash**_" The lightning clad speedster reached up and pulled off his cowl. "But I can tell you that I am not the man who murdered our mother."

Barry's eyes widened in disbelief, the man before him looked nearly identical except he appeared to be a little older than Barry.

"This…this is impossible…you're…you're…"

"You." Future Barry finished before extending a hand to his present counterpart. "Or to be more precise I am the main version of you in about ten years."

Barry took the older Barry's hand before he was pulled back to his feet.

"I thought there was a time traveling law that you cannot interact with your past self." Barry said trying to make light of the situation.

"If we did not share a connection to the Speed Force we would be causing a temporal singularity that would rip the very fabric of the universe to pieces." Future Barry replied. "Or so Cisco theorized."

Barry could barely wrap his head around the fact his Future Self had come to the past. He didn't know why but he was willing to bet money that it involved. "You said you were fighting the Reverse Flash earlier, but Dr. Wells told us he was attacked by the Reverse-Flash."

"Why have you come here?" Barry asked his older counterpart. With a heavy sigh the older Barry replied.

"I have come to this time with the goal of saving everyone I love." Barry was about to ask what he was talking about but he was answered very cryptically. "In the future I am from the woman I love is dying."

Barry's eyes widened, ten years in the future Iris was dying and there wasn't anything he could do about it apparently, why else would he have come to the past if not to save Iris. "Iris is dying?" the younger Flash asked but he was met by silence.

"I've tracked the beginning of all the tragedies to one single moment in our shared history. Barry Allen, in a years' time, give or take a few days or weeks, you will be faced with a choice. And it's a choice that will cost you someone close to you no matter what you do."

* * *

**September 24 2016**

Barry Allen is always late. Even when he leaves early for anything he somehow always gets to his destination late, however this time he was going to be on time for once in his life.

With a shaky hand he rang the doorbell and a moment later Iris answered wearing a smile that could light up the world.

"Oh Barry, you're actually on time for once." She said with a hint of surprise. "For a moment I thought you weren't going to make it."

"Well, considering what this actually is there was no way I was going to screw this up."

"Well, come on it Barry, but don't think for one nanosecond you're off the hook yet, remember this is"

"Your last chance/My last chance." The two lovers said at the same time. They both smiled before kissing again.

"I know this is my last chance." Barry said "And I love you for the last dozen you've given me."

"I want this relationship to work as much as you Barry and its difficult because I feel like I'm the only one who cares about us."

"I told you Iris, you're worth being on time for." Barry moved his left hand out from behind his back and handed Iris a large bouquet of flowers. "I want this to work Iris" he began to explain to the love of his life. "I know we've tried this for almost a year, and every time I was the one to screw it up, but now I will put more focus on our relationship and on you. No matter what happens from now on I will always be putting you first."

Iris took the flowers and kissed Barry on the lips. "You don't have to always put me first." She replied after breaking their kiss. "But just for tonight promise me one thing."

"Anything for you Iris."

"Promise me, just for tonight, you'll be just, my Barry Allen." Barry's silence was an indicator for her to elaborate a little more. "Just for tonight can you just be Barry Allen? No talking about work, no phones, and no being the Flash."

Barry pondered for a millisecond before smiling and giving Iris one more kiss. "I can do that Iris. I would throw a lasso around the moon if you asked me to."

"That's all I want for tonight." Iris said as she latched herself onto Barry and the two lovers began to make their way to the bedroom all the while discarding articles of clothing as they did.

-**ding-**

Barry's phone went off indicating he was getting a text message. Immediately Barry began to break his make out session with Iris to look at it.

"Barry" Iris said irritated as she grabbed his face. "You promised."

"I'm sorry Iris." Barry said

-**ding…ding…ding-**

It went off again three times in rapid succession causing Barry to break their kiss once more.

"Maybe I should just look at it." Barry leaned over and reached for his phone. His fingers brushed it but he couldn't see what was on the screen. "Just to see who it is and what they want."

Iris sat up and folded her arms across her bare chest in frustration. She rolled her eyes and blew a few strands of hair out of her face, which drew Barry's attention back to her. Barry had to admit Iris looked damn cute when she was frustrated with him.

"You're right Iris it's probably nothing." Barry said as he took his hand away from his phone. Iris smiled at his willingness to just be hers for an evening.

Wrapping back up in each other's embrace Barry and Iris continued where they left off. And for the next ten minutes they completely ignored the constant dings and vibrations of Barry's phone.

-**Ring-**

Barry's phone began to ring and they both turned to it.

-**Ring-**

"I should really look into getting everyone personal numbers." Barry said turning back to his phone.

"Barry, remember what you promised."

"I know Iris, but I can't help but feel like it's something important. What if it's Joe? Or Cisco? Or Caitlin? What if a new Meta-Human has shown up and they need me to stop him?"

-**Ring-**

"Barry you promised to just be my Barry for tonight. Whoever's calling can wait 'til tomorrow."

-**Ring-**

Barry thought for a minute and sighed, defeated by the love of his life. "You're right Iris. It can wait." He grabbed a pillow and threw it at his phone, burying it underneath a few inches of fluffy comfortableness.

He wouldn't know who called him until the next morning, and when he did that person's message still haunts him to this very day.

* * *

**Present Time**

"What do I have to do?" Barry asked his future self.

"Nothing, because it won't be you who saves everyone, I will ensure that you never need to make that choice in the first place."

It took Barry a second to process what his older self was saying. Unfortunately for him, Barry was nine deciseconds too slow as a glass door closed between Barry and his older self.

"Forgive me, but this is the only way I can ensure everyone's safety, especially that of the woman I love."

"Let me out!" Barry yelled as he slammed his fists violently against the glass.

"I cannot do that." The Future Barry replied as he took a step back from the glass. There was a flash of light that revealed where they were, The Particle Accelerator. The Future Flash had locked Barry in one of the specially designed Meta-Human Cells. "I need to be close to everyone to keep them safe and I cannot do that with you running around by their sides." Barry watched as in an instant his future counterpart's suit ejected itself off of him and condensed into a small gold ring on his left hand.

"How did you do that?" Barry asked, momentarily forgetting the predicament he was in.

"It was a gift from a friend." The older Barry said looking down at the ring. "The last thing he made before…" He didn't even finish his sentence as the memory was too painful. "It doesn't matter no one will find you in here."

"Yes they will! My friends will notice I'm missing! Plus some stranger who looks like an older version of me is going to draw some questions."

"That may be true, except our friends won't even notice that you're gone." The older Barry became encased in a veil of white lightning and with a loud bang that sounded like thunder Future Barry looked exactly identical to the twenty five year old speedster.

"How…?"

"I can use the Speed Force to alter my appearance and age. It's a nifty little trick I learned from my nephew and regrettably the man who murdered our mother." Even his voice was exactly like Barry's. "Now don't even bother trying to escape. I've set this Cell to keep me locked in there, so someone like you who doesn't even have access to half of my abilities has no hope of getting out."

"So what!" Barry fired back getting more and more frustrated with his future self's antics. "Cisco and Caitlin will notice I'm in here."

"Maybe they would if the camera wasn't replaying a loop of an empty cell or if I didn't do this." Future Barry reached up and pushed a button on the door. Barry watched as the glass flipped over so quickly he almost missed it.

"What the Hell are you doing! Let me out! What was that! Hey! Don't ignore me!" In desperation Barry ponded on the glass even harder than before and his voice grew louder and louder but his Future-self acted like he could not hear Barry.

"I can only imagine what you are yelling and doing." The Older Barry said "I would probably be doing the same thing as you, though this Cell makes it so you can hear and see me but I cannot hear nor see you."

Barry stopped pounding and yelling. If what his future self was saying was true then he was trapped with no way of escape.

"You won't die in there, I won't allow it, but I cannot let you out, not until I have done what I've come to do." And Barry watched helplessly as his future counterpart vanished in a flash of yellow electricity.

* * *

Back at the hospital everyone turned to the door as Barry came in with a whoosh of air, luckily there were no nurses nor bystanders around otherwise he would have blown his secret identity out of the water.

"Sorry I'm late guys." Barry said "What did I miss?"

"I said I'd be holding you to that 'I'll be up in a minute.' that was fifteen minutes ago." Caitlin jokingly yelled at him.

Barry just smiled at Caitlin, a smile that didn't go unnoticed by Joe or Dr. Wells. "So are you going to be punishing me for being late Dr. Snow?" He teased.

Caitlin cocked an eyebrow in confusion and shifted her gaze since Barry's remark was rather, uh, dare she say sexual. "Uh..."

"Phrasing Barry." Cisco interjected on behalf of his friend. Everyone turned to Cisco with confused looks. "OH come on! None of you've ever heard of Archer?"

"Same old Cisco still quoting movie and TV shows." Barry said under his breath so no one could hear him.

"Well, since you're all here now I suggest you head home and get some rest." Dr. Wells said sitting up a bit more. "We've got a long day tomorrow if we want to catch the Reverse-Flash."

Barry shot Dr. Wells a cold glare that lasted for nanoseconds before it relaxed into its usual happy visage, not one even noticed the change in his one. "Sure thing Dr. Wells." he replied. "Joe I'll see you at home." and with that Barry flashed back to the West House. Seconds later the four people in the hospital turned to see Barry peaking out from around the door frame. "Hey Cait, Cisco?" His teammates turned to him. "Are we still going to finish _Back To The Future _Tonight?"

"Uh, I guess we can." Caitlin said to which Barry smiled.

"Hell yes! Flash us over there right away Barry!"

"Great." In a flash of yellow electricity he, Cisco and Caitlin vanished leaving Joe and Dr. Wells alone in the room.

"You noticed that Barry was acting strange?" Dr. Wells asked.

"Yeah, he was flirting with Caitlin." Joe said slightly uncomfortable, since there was nothing he waanted more in the world than Barry and Iris admitting how they felt about each other. "He's never really done that before."

"Especially since all of his affection is supposed to be for your daughter." Wells said. "But that wan't what I was talking about. He was sending all of us looks as if he hadn't seen us in forever."

"So what? You think he was wammied by some Meta-Human with mind control abilities or something?"

"Hardly Detective West, whatever's bothering him I'd say give him some time and space. I'm sure it may jut be the fact that the man who murdered Nora Allen almost killed me is eating away at him. Now go get some rest before the nurses kick you out." Joe gave Wells a smile before leaving. "Oh and Detective," Joe turned back to the Doctor. "Keep an eye on Barry, something doesn't seem right with him."

* * *

This is the end of the chapter

Please tell me what you liked, didn't like, look forward to/think will happen, or your general thoughts and comments, this'll help me make this story better; I'm a big boy so I can take criticism.

Have a Fantastic day


	5. Karaoke Night

**Disclaimer: **The following is a nonprofit Fan based story; The FLASH and all related characters are owned by DC comics, the CW and anyone I may have missed. Also songs and their lyrics belongs to their respective artists and composers and record companies.

Thanks to all of you who reviewed and waited patiently; **changingdestiny40, ****Raquel, ISeeItIShipIt, Princess perfection, ****deliriouz2468, guest, **and** Lina**

Raquel brought up an interesting observation when she assumed Iris was being selfish. It wasn't my intention to make Iris seem selfish at all, in reality she just wanted to be spending time with her boyfriend who she thinks isn't putting in the effort into their relationship, and quite frankly I think that's exactly how it would happen, Barry eventually gets Iris and he thinks that's it while Iris wants more out of it.

* * *

_The Flash: Rewriting History_

Chapter 5: Karaoke Night

In the Pipeline of the Particle Accelerator the present Barry leaned against the wall and slid to the floor.

After his future-self locked him in here he's been trying to escape but he has had no such luck. Future Barry had thought of everything and he knew exactly what powers Barry had achieved at this given point.

There was no telling what his future self was doing or how much damage he was causing to Barry's life.

* * *

Future Barry sat on one side of the glass dividing him and his father for the last fourteen to seventeen years. He sat there his knees jostling with excitement as the officer led Dr. Henry Allen to the glass.

With a big smile Barry picked up the phone on his side while his father mirrored the action.

"Hey dad." Barry said.

"How's it going slugger?" Henry asked

Barry could only smile widely and he could barely contain the tears that threatened to trickle down his face. His dad did die in prison in about three years from now, and the sad thing was that there wasn't much Barry could do about it, if there's one thing he cannot change its his father dying of a completely natural heart failure in three years, though having a kickass doctor by the name of Dr. Snow take care his father this time might save his life.

"Hey what's wrong Bar? You look like you haven't seen me in years."

"I'm fine dad. It's just I know you aren't going to be in here much longer." Henry's mouth opened a bit in slight surprise

"Barry…"

"No dad, just please listen to me." Barry sounded like he was begging. "Me, Joe, Caitlin and Cisco we're getting close to the man who murdered mom. It won't be long before you're out of here."

Henry sighed before speaking to his son. "Barry, do you remember what we talked about last Christmas."

"Yeah" Barry wiped his hand across his face. "You told me to stop living in the past." Kind of ironic that this was exactly what Barry was doing at this very moment.

"That's right." Henry continued "You've been so caught up in what happened to your mother and I that you've been letting your entire life slip past you."

Barry leaned back in his chair. "You're right. I may have been too caught up in the past." He began to smile as he thought about how everyone he knows and loves is still alive and well. "Maybe it's time I start living my own life."

"That's my boy." Henry said smiling back at his son. "Just don't live it too fast now."

Barry chuckled awkwardly. "How long have you known?" He asked

"Ever since the Flash dealt with that thug, who attacked me, a few weeks back" Henry was smiling. "I always thought it was kind of funny that the only ones who knew about that attack were Joe, you and me."

Barry just looked down smiling, happy to just be spending time with his dad, even though there was about an inch of bullet proof glass separating them.

"So, how's Linda doing?" Henry asked saying Barry's ex's name with a slightly higher pitch. "That is the girl you've been dating right.

"Linda? Oh right yeah, um, well you see" Barry began to scratch the back of his head.

"You two broke up." Henry said simply. He knew his son all too well.

"Yeah, about a week or so ago." Barry once again glanced down at the table, truth was he didn't really remember much of his time with Linda seeing as how they were dating for about two maybe three weeks.

"It was because of your feelings for Iris wasn't it?" Barry silence was all Henry needed. "Listen Barry, when I was about your age I was head over heels for a girl just as you are for Iris."

"Really?" Barry was slightly surprised he had never heard this story before, and he was technically 35. "What was this girl like?"

"Oh she was just a computer graphics artist, in fact she was a lot like Iris."

"Does this mystery girl have a name?" Barry asked

"Oh yes. Her name was Paula and it all happened so fast, on the day I proposed to her she broke up with me." Barry was completely engrossed in his father's tale.

"Why'd she break up with you?"

"She felt like we were taking things too fast. Then she goes and moves to Paris." Henry said "And you know what? There isn't a day that goes by where I'm not thankful she broke up with me."

"Why?"

"Well it was actually a few days later that I met one of my old friends from College, Christina McGee."

"This isn't going to be like _How I met Your Mother _right?" Barry asked. "Because, I seriously do not have time to listen to a nine season story about a red herring and you telling me you're in love with a woman Christina."

"Long story short it was Christina who introduced me to your mother." Henry quickly summarized.

"And this has to do with me and my love life how?" Barry asked

"If I never experienced the heart break of my first love you would have never been born." Henry said. "And I would have never experienced that wonderful second chance the universe gave me."

"So you're saying I need to move on from Iris?" Barry asked. How could his dad possibly be saying that? He knew Barry loved Iris right? She was alive here and now. There was no way in Hell he was letting her go a second time. Well maybe he would for Caitlin but…

"I'm not saying that at all Barry. I'm just trying to tell you that maybe the universe has someone else planned for you."

* * *

"What's got you so cheery?" Iris asked as Barry walked in the front door of the West house.

"I just talked with my dad today." Barry responded smiling.

"Really? How was it?"

"Great." Barry said as he sat down on the couch with his future first wife. "Though the bummer of the whole thing was when I told him Linda and I broke up."

Iris gave Barry an apologetic smile. "Right, you two did break up and if I remember correctly you then tried to have me break up with Eddie to get with you."

"I remember." Barry said slightly ashamed of himself. "Thought I do believe I still suffer from Lightning Psychosis."

"Yeah, how is that coming along? Is it getting better?"

"Uh, I don't know." Barry answered honestly. "Caitlin says I am getting better but I may think otherwise." It wasn't a lie persay but it sure wasn't the truth.

"Well either way. I have to go get ready." Iris said standing up.

"Are you going somewhere tonight?" Barry asked.

"Eddie's taking me out to dinner. He said he has something important to ask me." Barry felt a knot in his stomach since he knew what Eddie wanted to ask.

"Hey, I have an idea why don't you and Eddie come out with Cisco, Caitlin and I tonight? We're going to sing some Karaoke." Ok that was a spur of the moment idea.

"That sounds like fun Bar but I think me and Eddie will pass."

"Pass on what?" Iris and Barry turned to see Joe walking in from the kitchen with a beer in one hand and a plate of pasta in the other.

"Oh, nothing Dad. Barry was just inviting Eddie and me out to a bar for the night."

Joe gave a nod before looking at Barry with a close eye. "Why don't you and Eddie join him? You kids could use a night life."

Iris turned from her dad to Barry and back again. She held her hands up in defeat. "Fine, I'll talk to Eddie and see if we can change our plans."

"Iris, you will not regret tonight." Barry said

* * *

Later at the bar Barry, Caitlin, Cisco Iris and Eddie were all sitting around their table just talking and drinking, waiting for their turn at Karaoke.

"This is a real nice place" Eddie said "How'd you find it Bar?"

"Uh," Barry shifted his gaze to Caitlin before speaking. "Well, Caitlin and I came here a few weeks ago and this just so happens to be the place I met Linda."

"Listen man I am sorry things didn't work out between you and Linda." Eddie said. He couldn't help being a nice guy it was just who he was, or at least he'll always be a nice guy so long as he was with Iris, which was something that was very conflicting for Barry. "And I'm still real sorry about punching you."

"Don't worry about it Eddie." Barry said as he gripped his glass a little tighter than usual. "I barely remember that punch."

* * *

**November 21 2015**

"I…I can't…"

Eddie's eyes went wide as Iris's words set into his ears. What's worse, he was surrounded by an entire restaurant of people and he was down on one knee presenting Iris his late grandmother's ring.

"What?" Eddie asked Iris. His expression was full of shock and hurt. Here was a woman he loved with his entire heart and what did she do? She practically ripped it out and crushed it.

"I said I'm sorry Eddie, I can't." Iris restated rejecting his proposal a second time. "A lot is going through my head right now…and I just…I just…" She was on the verge of tears, assaulted by feelings for the man in front of her who she'd been in love with years and her best friend who she'd been in love with since childhood. "I know it sounds crazy but…I've got these feeling that I don't know what to do with." She said.

"They're for Barry, aren't they" This wasn't a question as Eddie knew it was true. Iris and Barry had something between them that had only grown stronger once Iris learned Barry was the Flash. He thought he'd have a chance since he and Iris were dating before Barry even woke from his Coma but alas it was a fools dream. Hell, his evil decedent had shown him an article from the future and it was written be Iris West-Allen, even after they both decided to 'Screw the Future' and be together just as they had been for the better part of the year.

"Eddie, I'm so sorry." She reached out for his hand but he drew it back and clenched his fist around the little black box that held his grandmother's ring.

"If that's how you feel" Eddie began to say "then go."

"Eddie…"

"Go! Be with the guy who lied to you for the longest time instead of the guy who's been nothing but good to you!" Eddie's temper was rising life just wasn't being fair for either of them. Tears were starting to fall down Iris' cheeks. "I…I'm sorry Iris…that was out of place…" he tried to take her hand but she rescinded it.

She grabbed her coat and bag while she stood up tears were beginning to fall freely from her eyes. "I need some time to myself." Iris said before she left Eddie in the restaurant.

Eddie clutched the ring tightly in his hand but he didn't seem to notice the bright blue glow it gave off.

* * *

**Present Time**

If Iris and Eddie were still together come November they will most likely be engaged since there was no chance of Eddie being abducted by the Reverse-Flash this time, and as much as Barry loved Iris, her death five years ago had allowed his heart to begin beating for the other woman in his life. And perhaps even if the universe wanted him and Iris together she was far safer in the arms of Eddie Thawne.

"Alright folks it's time for open mike!" Barry and the gang all turned as the manager of the bar was up on the stage announcing the open mike. "Who wants to sing first?"

Eddie turned to Iris. "You want to go up babe?"

"Sure Eddie." Iris gave him a kiss on the lips before they headed up on stage together.

"What do you think they're gonna sing?" Cisco asked taking a sip of his Dirty Shirley

"Who knows but it'll probably be good." Ciatlin answered her best friend before finishing her off her tonic water. After her last ordeal with a night of drinking Caitlin had decided it would be best if she didn't consume as much alcohol ever again.

"What do you think Barry?" Barry wasn't paying attention as his gaze was fixed on Iris as she and Eddie were handed mikes.

[**Eddie, **_Iris,_ _**Both**_]

"**I got chills, they're multiplying  
And I'm losing control  
'Cause the power, you're supplying  
It's electrifying!"**

"Oh no they didn't." Barry said with a hint of disappointment causing Cisco and Caitlin to give him funny looks.

"What did they do?" Cisco asked

"That's our thing." Barry said turning to Caitlin almost completely ignoring Cisco. "Singing Grease is our thing Caitlin."

"Oh god…" Caitlin dropped her head immediately into her hand.

"_You better shape up, 'cause I need a man  
And my heart is set on you  
You better shape up, you better understand  
To my heart I must be true  
Nothing left_**, **_**nothing left for me to do**_

"_**You're the one that I want  
You are the one I want  
Oo,Oo,Oo honey**_

_**You're the one that I want**_

_**You are the one I want  
Oo, Oo, Oo honey**_

_**You're the one that I want  
You are the one I want  
Oo, Oo, Oo, the one that I need  
Oh yes indeed**_"

After a few minutes Iris and Eddie finished singing and the audience gave them a thunderous applauds, Grease gets the crowd rocking apparently.

The manager walked up on the stage as Eddie and Iris sat back down with team Flash. "**Alright that was fantastic. Now who wants to follow up that lovely couple?**"

"I WOULD!" The entire bar practically turned in unison towards Barry who was standing up with his right arm in the air.

"**Ok we have ourselves a singer.**"

"Are you sure you want to sing Barry? Last I checked you didn't like singing." Caitlin asked

"Huh? Oh, right well I never said I hated singing. So what do you say Dr. Snow? Do a duet with me?"

"I'll pass." Caitlin replied. She really didn't want a repeat of that karaoke night considering how the night didn't go well for her at all aside from some budding feelings for the super speed guy offering to sing with her.

"Cisco?"

"Naw man, somebody's gotta stay back and film you make a fool out of yourself."

With a brilliant grin Barry took off for the stage, but not too fast.

"So what are you gonna sing?"

"That one." Barry pointed at the screen

"Not really a Karaoke song bud."

"Yeah well, there's someone in the audience that needs to hear this."

"Still crushing on your ex?"

"Sort of." Barry said looking at Iris who was smiling and talking with Eddie.

"Well, take it away."

The music started and everyone turned to the stage.

"**Midnight, gettin' uptight, where are you?  
You said you'd meet me, now it's quarter to two  
I know I'm hangin' but I'm still wantin' you  
Hey Jack, it's a fact they're talkin' in town  
I turn my back and you're messin' around  
I'm not really jealous, don't like lookin' like a clown  
I think of you ev'ry night and day  
You took my heart then you took my pride away~~**

"Barry's singing Joan Jett?" Cisco asked aloud looking from Caitlin to Eddie and then Iris. "I didn't know he was a fan."

"I always thought he was more into pop music like Lady Gaga." Caitlin replied "_Poker Face _is his favorite song or something."

"How do you know that?" Eddie asked

"He listens to it all the time." Iris replied before turning her complete focus on Barry.

"Plus it's on his Facebook page." Caitlin added

"**I hate myself for loving you  
Can't break free from the things that you do  
I wanna walk but I run back to you  
That's why I hate myself for loving you  
Ow! Uh**

"Damn Bar sounds good, doesn't he Iris?" Eddie asked his girlfriend but she was too engrossed in what Barry was singing. The gears in her head were turning once again for the first time since Christmas, when Barry told her he was in love with her, and she didn't even respond.

**Daylight, spent the night without you  
But I've been dreamin' 'bout the lovin' you do  
I'm over being angry 'bout the hell you put me through  
Hey, man, bet you can treat me right  
You just don't know what you was missin' last night  
I wanna see you begging, say forget it just for spite  
I think of you ev'ry night and day  
You took my heart and you took my pride away~~~~~**

**I hate myself for loving you**  
**Can't break free from the things that you do**  
**I wanna walk but I run back to you**  
**That's why I hate myself for loving you**  
**Ow! Uh!**

"Man he's killing it!" Cisco complimented before raising his hand trying to get the attention of their waitress. "Ugh I'll be right back." He said getting up and heading over to the bar.

**I think of you ev'ry night and day  
You took my heart and you took my pride away~~~~~~**

Caitlin just listened to Barry with a wide smile on her face. She had picked up immediately on why Barry chose this song when she turned to Iris since it practically spelled out his feelings for said budding reporter. She did feel bad for the both of them since they were like star crossed lovers destined to be together but Iris never seemed to see Barry that way and maybe she never would.

Maybe Iris would come around and reciprocate Barry's feelings but just thinking about that made Caitlin's heart feel heavy.

**I hate myself for loving you  
Can't break free from the things that you do  
I wanna walk but I run back to you  
That's why I hate myself for loving you**

**I hate myself for loving you**  
**Can't break free from the things that you do**  
**I wanna walk but I run back to you**  
**That's why I hate myself for loving you**

**I hate myself OW! For loving you**  
**I hate myself UH! for loving you**  
**I hate myself OW! UH! for loving you**  
**I hate myself**  
**I hate myself for loving you."**

Barry opened his eyes and scanned the crowd. His eyes found Iris' and they silently looked at each other. The love of his life's eyes were filled with the same emotions and tears from Christmas as she understood the message in the song, Barry's love for her was tearing him apart and her not reciprocating his feelings was just making things worse for him.

"Iris, what's wrong." She was snapped out of her thoughts by Eddie's concern.

Eddie didn't like seeing Iris sad, it was like she was a different person from the bubbly and independent woman he fell in love with.

"I'm fine Eddie." Iris said "I…I just have to use the lady's room." Iris said as she stood up. She honestly didn't want Eddie to see her cry especially after hearing Barry practically sing about their relationship for everyone to hear.

"Iris" Eddie tried to call out to his girlfriend but she ignored him as she quickly made her way to the bathroom.

"Encore!"

"Do Another!"

"I love you!"

"Let me have your babies!"

Barry just stood up on the stage holding the mike and smiled wildly at the crowd. They absolutely loved his singing voice, after all both Iris and Caitlin had told him he had the voice of an angelic choir.

"**Um, OK.**" Barry spoke into the mike. "**I think" **He got a little too close to the mike and it made a high pitch screech which caused everyone to flinch. **"Sorry." **He said when the sound died down "**Uh, for my next song I'm going to need some help**." Immediately almost every girl in the audience shot their hands into the air and began to cry out to him, even if most of them were out with their boyfriends. Meanwhile Barry set his eyes on the only female remaining at his table. "**Hey, Dr. Snow**~!"

Everyone turned to Caitlin as she nearly started to choke on her drink from being called out by Barry. "**Dr. Caitlin Snow, get on up here**."

Caitlin was just shaking her head vigorously and mouthing the word no all the while she waved her hand back and forth across her neck. She really didn't want to sing.

Barry could only chuckle as their roles seemed to be reversed since their last karaoke session. "**Oh come on, don't you want to get up here and sing with me**?"

"Come on Cait!" Cisco said "Go up and sing!"

"No way in Hell!" the doctor said firmly to her brother-figure.

"Oh, come on Cait, what's the worst that can happen?" Eddie asked

"I'm completely tone-deaf." She tried to argue.

"So is half the audience." Eddie countered.

"Here." Cisco passed her a glass of a tea colored liquid "Drink this, it'll help."

"What is that?" She asked as she pointed at it.

"Its liquid courage, it will help you sing."

"**Cait-lin. Cait-lin. Cait-lin! Cait-lin! CAIT-LIN! CAIT-LIN!" **Barry started chanting her name much like she did with his name at their previous Karaoke session.

"CAIT-LIN! CAIT-LIN! CAIT-LIN! CAIT-LIN! CAIT-LIN! CAIT-LIN!" Barry and the entire audience began to chant her name over and over again and Caitlin was regaining the memories of her and Barry's first Karaoke night.

"Give me that." Caitlin grabbed the glass Cisco offered her "Do your magic Liquid Courage." She said as she quickly drank its contents before heading up on the stage where Barry was waiting.

"Ok Dr. Snow, what do you want to sing?" Caitlin lightly pushed his shoulder

"You know I'm completely tone deaf right Barry?"

"And yet you still sang _Summer Lovin' _with me." Barry said back to her.

"As fun, and intoxicated, as I was I do not want a repeat of that."

"Well then I guess it's a good thing I picked a song that perfectly fits the both of us." He said to her smiling.

"What did you pick?" She asked before Barry pointed to it. "Oh, that's a good one."

[**Barry, **_Caitlin,_ _**Both**_]

"**Ca~n anybod~y find me~~, somebody to~~ lo~~~~ve?**

**Each morning I get up I die a little  
Can barely stand on my feet  
**_(Take a look at yourself)_**  
Take a look **_**in the mirror and cry**_**  
Lord what you're doing to me  
I have spent all my years in believing you  
**_**But I just can't get no relief**_**,  
Lord!  
Somebody**_ (somebody)_**, Ooh somebody **_(somebody)_**  
**_**Can anybody find me~~**_** somebody to love**?"

"_I work hard __**(She works hard) **__every day of my life  
I work till I ache my bones  
At the end __**(At the end of the Day)**__  
I take home my hard earned pay all on my own -  
I get down __**(down) **__on my knees __**(knees)**__  
And I start to pray  
Till the tears run down from my eyes  
Lord somebody – _**somebody**_ – Ooh somebody – _**somebody **_  
__**(**_**Please**_**) Can anybody find me**__ \- somebody to lo~~~~~~~~ve?"_

"**She works hard**"

Caitlin raised a hand and undid the ponytail holding up her hair. She was either really getting into the music or it was the alcohol taking over. The action caught Barry off guard enough to forget it was his turn to sing so Dr. Snow took over.

"_Everyday __**(Everyday)**__ \- I try __**and I try and I try~~~**__  
But e~~verybody wants to put me down  
They say I'm goin' crazy  
They say I got a lot of water in my brain  
__**Got no common sense  
I got nobody left to believe  
Yeah yeah yeah yeah**_

The audience loved their duet, even though the lovely Dr. Snow couldn't sing to save her life.

"_**Oh Lord  
**__Ooh Somebody_,_** Ooh **_**somebody**_**  
Can anybody find me somebody to lo~~~ve?  
**_  
Just before he continued Barry spotted Iris stepping out from the bathroom, it looked like her mascara was running. His heart dropped as the mike almost did but he caught it before continuing with his gaze almost entirely fixed on Iris for the next verse.

"**Got no feel, I got no rhythm  
I just keep losing my beat  
**_I'm OK, I'm alright  
Ain't gonna face no defeat_  
_**I just gotta get out of this prison cell  
Someday I'm gonna be free, Lord!  
**_  
"**Find me somebody to love**  
_Find me somebody to love _  
**Find me somebody to love**  
_Find me somebody to love _  
_**Find me somebody to love  
Find me somebody to love  
Find me somebody to love  
Find me somebody to love love love  
Find me somebody to love  
Find me somebody to love  
Find me somebody to love  
**_**Somebody **_somebody _**somebody **_somebody__**  
Somebody find me  
Somebody find me somebody to love**_

"_**Can anybody find me~~~**_,"

Barry took Caitlin's hand and spun her into his arms so that they were looking into each other's eyes.

Caitlin felt her heart skip a beat and now beat in unison with Barry's and her face turned beat red she almost forgot to sing the final lines of the song.

"_**Somebody to~~~~ lo~~~~~ve?**_"

As the song faded out the crowd applauded in approval, mostly for Barry's angelic voice. Still holding Caitlin's hand Barry and his personal physician took a bow before the fastest man alive led her off the stage smiling like a child on Christmas morning.

* * *

Meanwhile back at STAR labs Eobard Thawne wheeled himself down the halls of his facility before coming to his secret room. Placing his hand on the panel the wall opened up and he entered. Slowly making his way to the central control panel he activated it revealing an article from the future.

**December 28 2024**

**THE FLASH A MURDERER? CENTRAL CITY'S GUARDIAN ANGEL STANDS ON TRIAL**

**By Lois Kent**

**Today the Scarlet Speedster known as the Flash, a founding member of the Justice League, stands on trial today for the murder of a man, The Reverse Flash, Eobard Thawne. Details of the murder have yet to be released but the facts indicate the Defendant was in fact responsible for snapping his neck to save the life of a woman who has asked to remain unnamed. Whether intentional or not remains to be seen. **

Eobard Thawne read the article multiple times. This was after all one of his major reasons for despising Barry, his hero, his idol had betrayed him in the worst possible way, he killed Thawne. The Reverse Flash chuckled to himself as he though how Barry would react to his 'Harrison Wells' being the man who murdered his mother, he could only imagine the results.

Right now Eobard Thawne had important goals to accomplish, he was going to get back everything that was stolen from him, to do that he was going to need Barry Allen, the one from this time period, not the one from the future.

Placing his hand on the panel the holographic face of Gideon appeared from the wall.

-**Good Evening Dr. Wells-**

"I wouldn't say that Gideon." Eobard Thawne said as he intertwined his fingers beneath his chin. "I need you to run some tests and probabilities for me."

-**Certainly Dr. Wells-** The computer said –**Might I inquire what these equations are for-**

"Oh, nothing special, they're just for my fail safe if my plan didn't work."

* * *

This is the end of the chapter

Please tell me what you liked, didn't like, look forward to/think will happen, or your general thoughts and comments, this'll help me make this story better; I'm a big boy so I can take criticism.

Have a Fantastic day


	6. Tricksters

**Disclaimer: **The following is a nonprofit Fan based story; The FLASH and all related characters are owned by DC comics, the CW and anyone I may have missed.

Thanks to all of you who reviewed and waited patiently; **AReiss215, changingdestiny40, xXKingXx, deliriouz2468, Lina, Raquel, theflashnatic **and **Mason Marek**

As I apparently do now I will address the guests whim cannot be reached by PMs;

**Lina:** I guess I am just like the show writers since we seem to think alike in terms of the show like introducing a Blue Flash (Future Barry for me and Prob. Future Wally West for the Show.) But yeah I'm more of a Snowbarry shipper but I accept Westallen as more likely to happen, even though they are better as friends IMO. Sorry if the last chapter broke your heart.

**Raquel:** Glad you liked Karaoke night and Henry's advice those were fun to write since I figured Future Barry would probably do those things. As for who Cisco ships well let's just say he ships all the ships.

**theflashnatic: **You can say how completely in love with this story you are. Also This story is not on Hiatus, I just ran into some personal issues and I also scrapped the original version of this chapter in exchange for this one.

* * *

_The Flash: Rewriting History_

Chapter 6: Tricksters

* * *

Barry's eyes fluttered open as he found himself looking into the hair of one Dr. Caitlin Snow. For a moment he was confused but then he remembered everything. After taking Caitlin home and getting her ready for bed she asked the scarlet speedster to join her and he complied, nothing happened aside from them just falling asleep. As Barry lay there stroking her hair he felt all warm and fuzzy inside as his mind drifted to one of the happiest days of his life…

* * *

**December 25 2023**

It was Christmas morning in Central City and for the Barry Allen of Tomorrow he was celebrating it with his girlfriend Caitlin Snow. The two had been dating for a while now, approximately a year and after the tragedy from last year that nearly destroyed Barry, he didn't want any risk of loosing the last and currently most important person in his life. He knew She could never replace Iris, a part of him still loved his deceased wife, but he wasn't going to let that stop him after all Caitlin helped him through the roughest patches of his life as he did for her.

"Alright Cait, are you ready for your Christmas present?" Barry asked as he trailed kisses down her neck and shoulder from behind.

"I could say the same thing to you Mr. Allen." Her voice was smooth and she moaned as Barry moved down her body trailing kisses as he did.

Barry pulled away and spun Caitlin around so they were looking into each other's eyes. "On the count of three we show them to each other." Barry kissed her while reaching into the pocket of his pajamas. "One"

"Two" Caitlin kissed Barry once more. She could barely contain her happiness since this was fairly big news, though considering the status of their relationship it may not be the best.

"Three!" They both cried out at the same time. Barry dropped to one knee and pulled out a small black box while Caitlin took his hands at the same instant.

"Dr. Snow, will you marry me? / Barry, I'm pregnant!" Both of them stopped and their eyes expanded. "What?" They spoke in unison. Caitlin looked down at the ring in the box while Barry stood up to meet her gaze. "You're pregnant? / You want to get married?" They both had looks of confusion and excitement as the words processed in their minds. "Yes! Wait Stop that!" They both still spoke in unison before they burst out laughing.

"You're really pregnant Cait?" She nodded while tears trickled down her cheeks. "How long?"

"Two weeks." She said "Through I found out a week ago, I though It would be a good surprise considering…" she never finished her sentence as Barry lifted her up and spun her around filled with joy. "You aren't mad?" She asked. After loosing both Don and Dawn last year she didn't know if Barry wanted to be a Father again especially with the woman who felt responsible for what happened to them.

"How could you think I was mad? This is fantastic news!" Barry was just over the moon with happiness.

"But Don and Dawn, I-"

"Cait, it wasn't your fault what happened to them. They loved you just as much as I do." Barry said while looking lovingly into her eyes. "You did everything you could, yes I'm still sad about what happened but now, You and our unborn child filled this void in my heart and I just…I just don't feel that sad anymore." His smile suddenly dropped when a erroneous thought entered his brain. "Wait! We aren't even married and we're already going to be parents!"

"What about it?" Caitlin inquired, she was just happy that Barry was accepting of her and their unborn child, just saying 'their unborn child' made her happier. She didn't care if they were married or not. "I believe you just asked me about it and I haven't even had time to process an answer."

"Well, if you still want to get married, we either need to push up the date or postpone it for about ten months, granted if you say yes." He gave her a sheepish grin.

"Well then Mr. Allen, since I would love to marry you, my answer is absolutely!"

"Well then, we better get started on all the details." Barry was so happy, for the first time in years things were looking so much better. "But first let's do this properly." He dropped back down to one knee and held up the ring.

"Dr. Caitlin Snow, will you make me the happiest man alive by being Dr. Caitlin Snow-Allen?"

"I will Mr. Barry Allen." She held out her hand and he slipped the rock on her finger before kissing her intensely as she led him back into the bedroom they shared.

* * *

**Present **

Barry kind of wished that she'd turn over or better yet wake up but if she did then this could potentially destroy the friendship they had. After all, at this point in time Ronnie was still alive (not being sucked into a singularity and torn apart atom by atom) and she did love him with every fiber of her being, though her feelings for Ronnie overshadowed the ones for Barry, much like how his younger self felt for Iris.

Waking up in bed with one of your close male friends next to you, when you two aren't even dating, is probably a good way to really make your relationship awkward. and Barry didn't want to do that at all. Especially not with Caitlin nor Iris.

Barry kissed her forehead lightly before quietly getting out of bed. He was happy Caitlin had an apparent hangover and wouldn't remember most of their adventure from the previous night. So as the good friend he was he made her a pot of coffee and left some water and some headache medicine out for her.

* * *

Caitlin woke up the next morning and she felt like absolute crap. Her head was pounding, her stomach was churning and the small rays of sunlight peeking out from her curtains were radiating too brightly. All in all it was not the best way to start a day.

She trudged to the bathroom and tried to expel whatever it was that was making her sick. Once she was done Caitlin walked over into her living room and turned on the TV before heading into the kitchen.

Stuck to the refrigerator Caitlin saw a note which read simply;

_Didn't want to disturb you, so I left you a pot of Coffee and some pancakes in the fridge, you just need to heat them up. I recommend heating the syrup as well._

_Your friend with super speed,_

_Barry Allen_

_PS I left some medicine and water on the counter to help with the hangover you may or may not have since you did down like four Long Island Ice Teas last night._

Caitlin smiled as she read the note and how thoughtful Barry was. She took the pancakes out of the refrigerating unit and heated them and the syrup up before eating them. Now with something in her stomach she took two pills and downed the glass of water Barry left for her before taking the cup of coffee back into her living room just in time to see a special report.

-_Panic has enveloped Central City after a terrorist, going by the name The Trickster, attempted to bomb a crowded park this morning.-_ The Reporter said through the TV catching Caitlin's attention.

"Oh my god." Caitlin held a cup of coffee in her hands and found herself sitting down.

-_Thankfully with the timely arrival of the Flash no one was hurt.-_ Hearing that made Caitlin happy, Barry was out there saving people. –_Shortly after the attack a man calling himself the Trickster has claimed responsibility for the attacks through a video released.-_

The screen changed to a perspective from the top of a high building _–Tricked Ya! Ha ha! Look Who's back. My Tricks, My Treat. But I'll give you something Good to eat. Today's Special. A city in Ashes. The Trickster welcomes you all to the new disorder.-_

* * *

Later at STAR Labs Team Flash and Detective West Stood in the cortex and analyzed the Video The Trickster had uploaded.

"He talks about himself in third Person, confirmed sociopath." Cisco said from beneath a pair of dark sunglasses.

"You're just upset he named himself Cisco." Caitlin, who was also sporting dark sunglasses, asserted.

"Actually he didn't name himself." Barry answered his friends as he turned towards them. "There was a psychopath hitting up Central City twenty years ago, he called himself the Trickster." The Flash went over to the main computed and with quick fingers he brought up several news articles pertaining to the old trickster.

"Damn, Dude's rocking a unitard from the Nineties." Cisco was actually impressed anyone could wear a yellow purple, red, and green striped, checkered, polka dotted bodysuit.

"His name is James Jesse." Joe cut in. "Former FBI Psychoanalyst turned professional Criminal."

"James Jesse, sounds like a weird twist on Jesse James." Caitlin noted the similarity between the names of two wanted men.

"Exactly" Barry answered her. "Though unlike Jesse James, Mr. Jesse is still securely serving about a dozen life sentences behind several inches of glass at Iron Heights." Joe looked at Barry strangely, how did Barry know about Jesse's cell when he'd never been there? "He's probably the most dangerous human Central City has ever seen."

"You mean aside from Captain Cold and his Rogues." Cisco interjected before taking a sip of his coffee.

"At least he doesn't have a weapon designed specifically to kill Barry."Caitlin tried to spin some positive light on the situation which warranted a smile from Barry, though it made Cisco a little upset.

"Trust me when I say he doesn't need one." Joe said. "According to his file about five years ago he talked his psych into committing suicide."

"Yeesh." Caitlin made a face as she thought about that and she counted her blessings that she chose bio-engineering over psychology.

* * *

Later at Iron Heights Prison Joe and Barry were led down the dark and cramped halls of the lower east wing.

"…_Geeze this place is as bad as the first time I was down here…"_ The scarlet speedster whispered to himself.

"What was that Bar?" Joe asked without looking at his foster son.

"Nothing Joe."

Soon they found themselves face to face with James Jesse, the Trickster. And after asking him questions and him apparently going on a huge rant about how they should kill the kid who's copying him Joe and Barry turned around to leave and investigate Jesse's secret layer.

"So, what do you think?" Barry asked.

"About what?"

"About this whole Trickster thing, something just doesn't add up."

"What're you thinking son?"

"It's just how would A- The New Trickster know where his evil lair was?"

"I reckon the kid just stumbled on it."

"No, see a layer is supposed to be somewhere no one can stumble into it."

"What're you saying?"

"I think Jesse knows more than he's letting on about this New Trickster."

"Ok, so say Jesse knows more about this New Trickster he still sounded pretty pissed that the new kid was stealing shtick."

"Joe, we're talking about a guy who made a shrink commit suicide, I think he can lie pretty well."

Instead of heading to The Trickster's lair Barry and Joe headed back to the precinct. While Barry headed up to his lab Joe pulled out his phone and called Dr. Wells.

"_Detective West, to what do I owe this phone call?_"

"Dr. Wells, I'm just calling to let you know Barry did something not so ordinary."

"_Might I inquire what it was Detective?"_ The physicist's voice spoke in his ear.

"He's being remarkably clear headed, and he acted like he knew exactly what James Jesse was saying."

"_Interesting, I'll talk to him."_ Dr. Wells said _"Send him over as soon as you can."_

* * *

Barry sat in his lab and looked at his cork board. It was mostly concealed beneath a layer of photos and news articles related to the Murder of Nora Allen and Dr. Harrison Wells. Despite the threat the Trickster posed Barry wasn't the least bit worried since he knew exactly what was going to happen next. Instead he was lost in thought about the two most important women in his life, Caitlin and Iris. Last night he was pretty sure he hurt Iris in a bad way with singing _I hate Myself for Loving you,_ but that didn't mean he didn't love her. He and Iris would probably still be married in the future if the Reverse Flash didn't take her away from him. Iris was his other half his first true love. Caitlin was just as important to him as well, sometimes he thought the universe brought Caitlin into his life to be that Second Chance at love everyone deserves but that didn't stop him from letting his mind drifted back to one of his Favorite moments with Iris…

**February 14 2021**

Barry and Iris had gone out for their usual date night, though this was a far more special evening. Caitlin was baby sitting the kids while Joe kept an eye on the City giving the Flash that one night off he deserved. Barry took his wife of one year to Central City Water Front to enjoy a romantic dinner in the place he first kissed her, even though that was in an alternate time line.

"Did you set this all up Barry?" She asked as she looked at the picnic blanket, basket and candles set up on the grass overlooking the calm river separating Central City from Keystone City.

"I might have done it."

"How sweet." Iris leaned up and kissed him before he led her to sit down and enjoy a romantic dinner. Barry poured them each a glass of red wine and passed her the first one.

"Happy Anniversary Mrs. West-Allen."

"Happy Anniversary Mr. Allen." They clinked glasses and drank to their future.

They sat, ate and talked for hours just enjoying each others company. Iris looked at her glass deep in thought until Barry took her attention.

"Are you OK Iris?"

"Yeah I'm fine Barry." She replied with a reassuring smile. "It's just I've been thinking, a lot lately."

"About what?"

"Well, you know Dawn and Don are turning one this year and, well…"

"What?" Barry asked "Please don't keep me in suspense."

"I want to have another Baby." She said not wanting to hold it in anymore.

"Really? Awesome!" Barry was happy at the prospect of having more kids. He loved Don and Dawn in all their infantile cuteness and a new baby brother or sister might make life even better. "Well, the only down side to this is that Don and Dawn are still fairly young and need a constant eye on them. Another baby is going to be challenging especially for you."

"As long as you don't get struck by lightning again and fall into a coma for the nine months I'm carrying We'll be fine." he kissed her once more.

"You can count on me Iris, I will be there for you every second no matter what."

As the two lovers gazed into each other's eyes they were lost in happiness, so lost they couldn't possibly see the events that would unfold in the coming months as this was their last anniversary and they would never have another child thanks to The Reverse-Flash.

* * *

**Present**

Barry was snapped out of his thoughts when Iris unexpectedly entered his lab. "Hey Iris" He said happily as he stood up to hug her. "How are you?" He asked sincerely.

"I'm alright but I have a huge favor I need to ask of you."

"Anything."

"My mentor at Picture News, Mason Bridge, is still missing and I was wondering if you could help track him down?" She passed him an envelope and Barry looked through it, it contained information related to everything Mason Bridge had given to Iris.

Barry didn't know what to say. He knew Mason was investigating Dr. Wells and his friends and quite frankly that ticked him off. "Of course Iris." Barry said as he put the file on his desk. "But, why are you giving this to me and not your 'not so secret crush' or boyfriend?"

"I tried asking Eddie about it but he tried dodging all my attempts saying things like 'he's probably laying low or ran off with a woman."

"And the Flash?"

"I don't know Barry, I'll try and get in touch with him about this but I need someone I can count on."

Barry smiled at Iris "Consider it done; I'll let you know if anything comes up."

"Thanks" Iris readjusted her bag and was about to leave when a thought entered her mind. "Barry are you and Caitlin…you know…together?" She asked shyly.

Iris's question, while kind of random, caught him off guard, but he answered it none the less. "Who? Me and Caitlin? Oh, no we aren't toghether." He tried passing it off as nothing more than a close friendship. "We're nothing more than close friends."

"Really? Cause from what I saw last night you two are pretty close."

"Well, that wasn't quite the first time we sang karaoke together." Barry rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "It's kind of our thing to sing at bars."

"When did this happen?"

"About, oh I'd say last February. We went out, Caitlin got drunk we sang _Summer Lovin'_ and I sort of took her home when she got sick."

"Really? So what happened after you took her home?" Iris was now intrigued and also slightly hurt that Barry seemed to be moving on, though she was happy that it was with someone like Caitlin. "Did you two, you know…"

"What? Oh god no Iris!" Barry adamantly defended himself. Sure in the future he and Caitlin would have numerous nocturnal escapades that usually ended with them in each other's beds but this was the beginning of their relationship he wasn't going to do any of that yet. "All that happened was I got her ready for bed and kept her company while she fell asleep."

"So you saw her goods then" Iris confirmed.

"Yes...No!" Barry fired back defensively shaking his head.

Iris rolled her eyes. Even though what Barry said was true she didn't quite buy it. "Honestly Barry you are the worst liar I have ever known."

"I like to think of myself as an excellent liar thank you very much."

"Well then stop lying and go ask Caitlin out!" Iris said as she playfully slapped his arm.

"Ow!" Barry rubbed where she slapped him in mock pain. "Jeeze Iris, If you want me to date Caitlin so bad I will, just so long as it's OK with you."

"OK with me?" Iris questioned. "Why would I need to be OK with the girls you date Barry?"

"Well, I know you Iris and quite honestly, please don't hate me for saying this but, you might have sabotaged one or two of my past relationships."

"I have not!" Iris defended herself. "If anything you've sabotaged your own relationships because of your feelings for me!" OK that was also true. "After all your lightning psychosis talk of us being destined to be and the universe wanting us together and claims about my feelings for you-"

"I guess what we feel for each other isn't something we can ignore." Barry said leaning against his desk nonchalantly and accidentally knocking over a few papers in his poor attempt to look cool in front of Iris.

Iris sighed and smiled. "Barry…" She began to say but she didn't know how to express her words. Yes she loved Barry more than the sibling bond they had but at some points it felt so wrong and right at the same time she didn't know what to do.

Barry gave Iris a smile before speaking. "Look, just meet me down by the waterfront later. I have something amazing to show you." Just after he finished speaking he got a ding from Cisco.

"_Trickster's begun to broad cast again"_

"Iris you got a laptop on you?"

"Yeah why?" Before she got her answer Barry had swiped it and booted it up before accessing the Trickster's website where he was broadcasting about having a large bomb hidden somewhere in Central City.

"Alright, Iris I've got to go, but we'll finish this conversation later." Barry said as he grabbed his jacket and rushed out of the lab.

"Bye…Barry…" Iris said as she watched her best friend disappear around the corner.

* * *

Barry raced back to STAR labs where he met up with his team and Joe.

"Where's the bomb?" Barry asked as he reentered the cortex.

"I don't know, it isn't giving anything off that I can trace." The engineer frantically ran program after program to try and find this bomb.

"It isn't giving anything off because there isn't anything to give off." Joe gave Barry a funny look when he said that.

"What do you mean son?"

"I mean there is no bomb. It's a trick." The Flash simplified

"But if there's no bomb then what's his plan?" Caitlin asked

"He's probably trying to bust James Jesse out of prison." In a rush of wind Barry had changed into his suit. "I'll make sure neither of them escape." And just as quickly he vanished, though he when he did he left behind a tiny flurry of blue electricity that didn't go unnoticed by Dr. Wells.

* * *

Barry raced across the city arriving at Iron Heights just outside of James Jesse's Cell in record time.

"Oh? And who might you be my leather clad compatriot?" The old trickster asked.

"_**James Jesse**_" Barry spoke with his disguised voice. "_**You and your son are like a plague on Central City so you'll pay the price before you can kill anyone again**_!" Barry turned to the cameras and in less than 0.1 seconds he disabled all of them before taping the ring on his left hand. Dozens of blue plated ejected from the ring before seemingly magnetizing to Barry's suit. The Gaps were soon filled with blue-white electricity as Barry stood before him in his Blue Suit.

"That's a nice trick." The Trickster smirked. "But it won't help you. It's time I do my greatest trick and escape from a maximum security prison."

**BOOOM** An explosion rocked the room as a section of the cell floor gave out letting the Trickster escape.

Not to be outdone Barry placed his hands on the Plexiglas and shattered it by matching its frequency. He raced after the duo and grabbed them and flashed out of the prison bringing them to the top of a tall skyscraper.

"What the-" Barry dangled both Tricksters by their ankles.

"_**Now listen up Tricksters, this city isn't big enough for the two of you. So each of you is gonna have to convince me why I should let you live."**_

"WHAT!?" Axel Walker, the young trickster freaked out a bit. "NO! I don't wanna die!" Barry looked at the young man who was poised to be the maniac Trickster. Axel was destined to be a part of Captain Cold's Rouges and give the Flash a challenge until he caused the death of a newlywed couple and their child prompting the young man he held to rethink his life and ultimately commit suicide.

"Heh heh heh!" James Jesse chuckled as he hung precariously. "Well, Axel my boy I think it's time for our next trick. Tell me Flash have you seen the movie _Speed_ starring Keanu Reeves? Quite the film" He pulled something out of his pocket and slapped it onto Barry's wrist. "Now this is a bomb connected with your movement once you start you can't stop or it explo-" Before he finished his sentence. Barry vibrated his arm out of the contraption and attached it to James Jesse's arm much to his shock.

"_**Consider that your reason for living Trickster**_. _**Oh and I rewired the bomb so the faster you go the bigger the bang.**_" And the Flash dropped the older man off the roof much to the shock of Axel.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Jesse screamed as he fell and his scream grew louder when the bomb began to beep faster and faster. A blur of blur appeared next to him and grabbed him and began to run back up the building, before throwing him high into the sky.

**KABOOOOOM** Ten feet above the roof the bomb exploded taking James Jesse to the afterlife.

Axel Walker was just in shock. The Flash, Central City's guardian angel, had just killed a man in cold blood.

* * *

Back at STAR Labs everyone was confused, they could neither here nor see what was happening.

"What just happened?" Cisco wondered as he frantically tried to activate the chest cam. "I can't get any signals from the com links or the chest cam."

"Barry's energy signals are off the charts." Caitlin commented as she analyzed the energy output and vitals. His energy was off the charts and his vitals were far too normal for those readings.

"Hang on" Wells rolled up next to Cisco and typed away wildly. A moment later the screen came to life showing a horrified Axel Walker being dangled off a building. "Got it."

"What's going on up there?" Cisco wondered aloud.

"Cisco hack into Barry's com link and activate it remotely." Wells ordered and the young engineer complied. Soon they could hear Axel Walker's frantic screames of terror and him saying that Barry killed James Jesse.

"Barry!" Joe called into the mic. "What are you doing?" He was panicking. His son was most definitely not acting like himself.

"_Joe? Oh god you guys aren't supposed to know about this…"_ He sounded distressed. "_I'm offering him a chance to turn his life around, be better than a terrorist."_

"Really? Cause from here it looks like you're about to drop him off a building!" His foster father shot back.

"_Who knows how many people Axel Walker is going to kill?"_

"What are you saying Barry?" Joe demanded but Barry ignored him and everyone else as they wanted answers.

"_Last chance Walker, will you stop all this? Or do you want to end up like your old man?"_ That line snapped everyone to attention. What was Barry saying?

"_My old man? Are you telling me you just killed my old man? You're a monster!"_ Axel's voice carried over the com link.

"_If you really won't repent then you leave me no choice Trickster_" Barry began to loosen his grip on the Trickster's leg but someone's voice admits the protest stopped him.

"Barry Stop!" Caitlin cried out into the mic, her voice carried through the machine and into Barry's ear, it wasn't what she said that caught his attention it was how she said it, it sounded like she was about to cry or she was terrified by his actions and that was not something he wanted.

* * *

In one fluid movement he dropped the young Trickster onto the roof, saving him from the fate he almost inflicted.

Walker was visibly shaken from the entire ordeal, but Barry wasn't done with him. He grabbed him by the collar of his leather jacket and with a single punch he knocked the kid out and flashed him over to the Central City Precinct in handcuffs.

"Holy Crap is that…"

"Was that…" The cops in the precinct were confused as to how the Trickster had appeared in their custody in a blue flash.

* * *

Barry didn't return to STAR Labs right away instead he ran to the waterfront and yanked off his hood. There was no one around and he didn't want his friends to hear him as he screamed out at nothing. Why did he stop? He was doing all this so that his friends could live better lives after all it was the Tricksters that ruined Cisco's super hero career.

**September 14 2020**

It was a normal summer evening in Central City. And Barry and Iris had gone out for the evening as part of their usual evening dates, leaving Cisco to watch over the City while Barry enjoyed his one night off. Caitlin was over at the Allen house baby sitting Don and Dawn. Sitting in his lab working on a new pair of gauntlets for his Vibe suit Cisco ticked away the hours as it was a rather quiet night. He was just about to leave when a broadcast on the TV caught his attention.

-_Hello Citizens of Central City-_ The faces of the two Tricksters graced the screen with their presence as Jesse spoke. -_It's time for another trick!-_

-_We've hid two bombs in Central City.- _Axle Walker continued.

_-I think one was at Central City Elementary School and the other was in the Memorial Hospital- _Jesse replied

_-But wait dad, aren't there two big events happening there tonight?- _His son asked

_-That's right my boy! And there's no one to stop them! Heh Heh heh!-_

-_So we're gonna make one of these buildings disappear, permanently!-_

Cisco watched with trained eyes. he was about to call Barry but decided against it since this was Barry's fist night off in months and he couldn't call Caitlin since she was busy with babysitting their kids. "To the Cisco Mobile!" Cisco changed into his costume and ran down the hall to his specialized home made motorcycle and started her up and raced out of the garage towards the elementary school, which was closer than the Hospital. He called Joe and warned him about the bomb in the hospital, which the cop replied that they were already on it and were in the process of evacuating the building while the bomb squad searched for the device.

When Cisco arrived at the elementary school he was confused when he realized the place was completely empty. There was supposed to be some kind of performance that evening, if he remembered correctly it was a performance from the third graders for all the other students.

Cisco blasted open the door to the gymnasium to find the entire student body there, and on Stage was none other than James Jesse standing next to a large wooden box with a cartoon bomb spray painted on it. Hundreds of wires were running out from the box connecting to devices in each person's hand, dead man switches.

"Hello there young hero." Cisco whiled around to see James Jesse "So nice of you to join us. I'll admit I was starting to think you wouldn't show."

Cisco his a button on the collar of his suit which modulated his voice, much like Barry did. "_**James Jesse, I wouldn't miss the opportunity to stop your tricks for anything**_." He said in a sarcastic tone.

"Ooh, so cheeky." The Trickster joked he looked past Cisco and smirked. Cisco thinking there was danger turned around but there was nothing.

**BANG** a shot rang out as Cisco felt a bullet tear into his back. Cisco screamed in silent pain as he whirled around to see Axle Walker standing in the crowd holding the smoking gun.

"Tricked Ya! Hahahahaha!" the younger Trickster laughed as he danced over Cisco's bleeding body.

A minute later while drifting in and out of consciousness Cisco found himself stripped of his gauntlets, ear pieces, and goggles, his hands were tied behind his back and he saw a big metal device on his chest. Looking around Cisco took in the looks of at least a hundred terrified children and adults all ranging in ages from five to eight to maybe thirty. All the devices they held were wired to the bomb on his chest, if even one of them let go the bomb would go off and kill them all.

"I wouldn't move if I were you." the Older Trickster said. "That thing on your chest is a motion sensing Dirty Bomb that's also connected to your heart beat. It's got a blast radius of about, oh I'd say one hundred yards in each direction." That was big enough to destroy the school and a good chunk of the homes around it. "If you move it it detonates. if your heart stops it blows up. And if it does explode the cocktail of chemicals will make the surrounding area unlivable for the next century!"

"I wonder how long you've got." Walker strolled behind Vibe looking at the blood. "Looks like I might have nicked your Aorta when I hit your spine."

"Son, it isn't nice to talk to a dead man. You'll give him crazy ideas like hope and courage. Now come on Axle, we've got people to rob! Places to steal! Tricks to pull!" the two tricksters left the gymnasium leaving Cisco and the hostages alone with the dirty bomb.

"Are we going to die Mr. Vibe?" Cisco turned to see a little boy looking at him with pleading eyes. the hero could tell the boy didn't want to die and he was absolutely terrified.

Cisco gave the boy a smile "What's your name?"

"Francisco." The boy replied

"Heh, that's a great name buddy." Cisco chuckled since this kid had the same name as him. "Listen up Francisco, and this goes for all of you. I promise that I'll get you all out of here even if its the last thing I do. Now, does anyone have a cell phone?"

"They took everything that can be used to communicate with any outside authorities." One of the teachers said

"Daaaaaang nab it!" Cisco corrected his sailor speech mid-sentence so as not to corrupt the children. His mind raced through a dozen plans as he tried to think of a way out of this.

"We're going to die." One of the teachers began to cry, her husband and her had just gotten back from their honeymoon, this was certainly not how they wanted to die.

"Don't worry, I'll get you all out of here." As if he could hear Cisco a sudden flash of yellow and red appeared in the room and standing in the middle was none other than Barry Allen. "Flash? Man am I glad to see you! How'd you know where to find me."

"Tricksters' broadcast." Barry repleid simply. "They said if any cop went to the elementary school they detonate the bomb. So here I am.

"You OK Vibe?" he asked as he crouched to check on his friend.

"Don't touch me! The Tricksters set this dirty bomb to my chest. Move it it explodes, I die it explodes, anyone drops their dead man switch it explodes."

"Hold it absolutely still." Barry said I'll try disarming it. Taking off the outer casing Barry found and Cisco found themselves face to face with a jungle of red, green, yellow and blue wires. "Oh man this may be harder than I thought."

Cisco looked at all the wires and his expression grew grim. "It won't work Flash."

"What?"

"There's no one wire to defuse the bomb."

"You are not doing what I think your doing Vibe." Barry had an idea about what Cisco wanted to do and there was no way he was going to let his brother from another mother sacrifice himself.

"Get everyone out of here." Vibe gave a reassuring smile to Francisco. "I'll contain the blast as long as I can."

"You've never done anything like that before let alone without your gauntlets."

"I have to try right? That's what hero's do." Barry felt tears well up in his eyes before conviction better asserted itself on his face.

**-beep-beep-** Barry and Cisco looked down to see a timer activate on the bomb. It seems like the Tricksters thought of everything since this thing now had a count down.

"FLASH GET THEM OUT OF HERE NOW!" Cisco yelled. Barry quickly freed his friends hands and as lighting flashed in Barry's eyes he began to move everyone out of the blast zone while Cisco concentrated and encased the bomb in rebounding vibrations in an attempt to contain the blast.

He looked down at the timer and a tear fell down his face.

**Five **

Barry was still carrying children out of the blast Zone and there was almost no time to get the rest out.

**Four**

Cisco hung his head as he realized what he needed to do.

**Three**

Barry whirled around a mile away from the school and raced back to get everyone else out.

**Two**

Cisco let go of his rebounding barrier and instead held his hands out to the remaining hostages and concentrated as he had never done something like this on such a scale.

**One**

Barry made it back to the school and was about to enter when it happened.

**Zero - ****KA-BOOOOOOOOOOM**

The explosion tore thew school apart and threw the Flash back as a cloud of dust, ash fire smoke and an assortment of chemicals raced out covering an area roughly five times the size of a football field.

"CISCO!" Barry yelled helplessly as there was nothing left of his friend.

* * *

**Present**

Cisco's death was something that tore at Barry for months, it hit everyone on the Team as Cisco was the soul while he was the heart and feet and Caitlin was the brain, Iris was their eyes and ears while Joe was the conscience. Cisco died saving every one in the school. By the time rescue crews had reached ground zero they found all the remaining students and teachers in some kind of dome energy dome while a charred skeleton had a hand stretched out to them. Even in death Cisco was protecting those people.

"_Dude what's going on? Where are you?" _Cisco's voice snapped him back to reality.

"I'm fine…" He sniffled as he wiped away his tears and disengaged his azure suit. The Armor plates disappeared back into his ring and he took of in a red blur flurried with gold electricity. "I'll be back in a second I just…I just needed some time to myself." Cisco died because of the Tricksters and now that they were out of the picture Cisco could live his life as the Hero Vibe.

* * *

Returning to STAR Labs Barry skidded to a halt in front of everyone. They were all looking at him strangely, especially Joe and Dr. Wells. The looks on Cisco and Caitlin nearly broke his heart, they looked like they were more horrified and disgusted than anything else.

"What the heck happened out there Barry?" Cisco sounded kind of pissed off. "You almost killed someone."

"And he was saying that you killed James Jesse." Caitlin added, her face was filled with concern and worry. "Did you kill him Barry?"

Barry gave them all a look filled with silence that told them everything they thought they needed to know. No words were exchanged but both Cisco and Caitlin felt betrayed. Excusing themselves the scientists got up and attempted to leave.

"Cisco…Cait! Wait!" Barry's plea fell on deaf ears. He was about to follow them when Joe clasped a hand on his shoulder.

"Sit down son and explain to us what happened." Joe really wanted to know what was going on. If he killed James Jesse there was no way this was his Barry, Joe's Barry was far too kind to kill anyone.

* * *

This is the end of the chapter

Please tell me what you liked, didn't like, look forward to/think will happen, or your general thoughts and comments, this'll help me make this story better; I'm a big boy so I can take criticism. Reviewers will get shout outs and questions answered.

Have a Fantastic day


	7. Truths and Deceit

**Disclaimer: **The following is a nonprofit Fan based story; The FLASH and all related characters are owned by DC comics, the CW and anyone I may have missed.

Thanks to all of you who reviewed and waited patiently; **Raquel, AReiss215, changingdestiny40, theflashnatic, Mr Panda, TheNightstriker,** **demonfox2140, 34, Goku88 lunaloveskuna, **and** deliriouz2468**

**Raquel:** Glad you enjoyed that Snowbarry moment even though it was a mock future moment. Yeah at first I was going to cripple Cisco and then I figured I can make people feel even more by having Cisco go out in a literal blaze of glory saving people. Well Season 2 Barry is a little more ruthless than season 1, he has directly killed two of the six meta-humans he has come across from Earth 2. I changed the color of the electricity because in the New 52 Future Barry had white-blue lightning which I guess it symbolizes that he is faster and much more powerful, plus its the same color as Zoom's electricity.

**Theflashnatic: **Personally I feel fine, though let's just say when you are the last person to say good bye before someone you care about dies it hits ya a lot harder than you think. And thanks for thinking I am doing a fantastic job with this fic, that means quite a lot.

**Mr Panda:** Everyone seems to love that Snowbarry moment from the beginning and I'll be completely honest it was fun to write. Just to let everyone know next chapter is quite the Westallen chapter.

**34: **Interesting name choice, but I've seen stranger. Any who I find Time Travel Fics to be very difficult unless you know what you want to do with one, thankfully I know exactly where I want to go with this one and we may be there sooner than you think.

**Goku88: **The gang will be finding their Barry fairly soon and with no time to spare because something is going to be happening fairly soon that will affect them all and it doesn't involve Future Barry. Oh and Future Barry won't tell them about what's going on, in his mind everything will be better before they even know there was a swap. I personally think the events that will transpire are quite exhilarating.

Alright if there are no more questions then on with the story!

* * *

_The Flash: Rewriting History_

Chapter 7: Truths and Deceit

* * *

"What happened on that building Barry?" Dr. Wells asked

"Axle Walker killed James Jesse." Barry said hoping both Joe and (as he knew him) Thawne bought his lie, so far they seemed to buy it. "He strapped a bomb to Jesse's wrist and I couldn't get it off him in time." Joe stroked his beard and nodded.

"OK, say I believe that Barry, then why was Walker saying you killed Jesse?" the detective asked trying to see just what was going through 'Barry's' head. "Or better yet Why would walker kill Jesse in the first place? They both seemed to have the same goal or complete Chaos at least."

"That maybe true but from what James Jesse said there could only be one trickster so they were planning to off each other anyway once this whole ordeal or whatever it was they were planning went down."

"Yeah, but since when have you been judge, jury and executioner Barry?"

"I didn't Joe, Axel Walker strapped a bomb to James Jesse's wrist I tried to get it off of him and then I had to choose how many people would get killed in the explosion! It was either just James Jesse or possibly everyone in that building!" Why was it every time Barry made a choice to kill one to save many people seemed to think less of him. The whole reason he cam back in time was to save everyone and remove the threats to their lives. "I can't save everyone Joe! For every person I save there's at least one other that I can't save!"

Joe was taken slightly aback at Barry's words. He sounded much more weary and tired than the twenty five year old speedster he was supposed to be. "Bar, so by definition you did kill Jesse?"

"I didn't kill him Joe, I just couldn't save him."

"So Axel Walker was lying," Joe and Barry turned to Dr. Wells. "Obviously Mr. Walker was saying those things to try and trick us into thinking Barry killed someone thereby destroying our faith in the Hero." Well's and Barry had a silent staring contest. Well could tell that the Barry in front of them was the one that stole his powers and if this were an imposter then where was this Time's Barry Allen?

Joe turned to the wheelchair bound doctor. He didn't get. Why was Wells saying something like that? Then again attempting to destroy a person's faith in a hero was fairly sinister.

"Exactly." Barry confirmed. Thawne's words confused him, was he helping him lie to Joe? "Axle Walker wanted to be the only Trickster in Central City so he broke James Jesse out under the pretense that they would work together and then Walker killed him."

"Is that all that happened?" Joe asked still extremely skeptical of the whole situation.

"Yeah," Barry said nodding "Look are we done here? I have to go explain things to Cisco and Caitlin, they're also wondering what happened. And if there are two people I can't do this without its them."

"Yeah, we've finished Barry." Dr. Wells said "Go on." Barry nodded and headed out of the Cortex to where Cisco and Caitlin headed off to not five minutes ago.

"So, what do you think Detective?" Dr. Wells asked as Barry left the room.

"He was obviously lying." Joe said as he put his hands into his pockets. "He had the eyes of a killer, that's something Barry would never have."

"Agreed, I know, or at least I like to think I've known Barry all my life and I can vouch that whoever that was, it wasn't the Barry Allen we know."

"So what do we do?"

"Whoever he is he was capable of replicating Barry's speed, and that makes him extremely dangerous." Wells said "It is quite possible that it's the Reverse-Flash disguised as Barry, doing exactly what the Tricksters were supposedly trying to do, destroy our faith in Barry."

"You're saying the Man in the yellow suit; he's capable of altering his appearance now? That seems a little far fetched."

"Well, if you recall detective, Impossible is just another Tuesday for us." The physicist replied. "Though, I suppose the million dollar question is why is he impersonating Mr. Allen?"

* * *

Barry walked into Cisco's lab and leaned against the door frame and watched Cisco work away.

"Hey Cisco." Cisco ignored him and continued to work. Cisco snapped something into place and the machine was whirling to life. "Look, I know what you heard up on that roof, believe me when I say-" Cisco whirled around and pointed a rudimentary cold gun at Barry.

The Speedster was caught off guard and backed off slightly raising his hands in the air as he did. "Give me one good reason I shouldn't ice you right here and now." Cisco's voice was quivering and Barry could tell by saving Cisco in the future he had put a large strain on his 'brother's' trust in him.

"I'll give you five good reasons why you won't shoot me." Barry calmly walked forward. "One, you are Cisco Ramon, you'd never hurt anyone. Two, that cold gun isn't your best work. Three, you couldn't hit me even if you wanted to." Barry slowly moved the cold gun away from his chest. "Four, if you did shoot me you'd regret it for the rest of your life. And Five, you're just like me Cisco, a hero at heart." Cisco looked up to meet Barry's gaze, tears were starting to form in his eyes.

"I know what you're thinking Cisco. And I need you to know everything Walker said on that roof was a trick."

"It sounded pretty real to me." Cisco argued

Barry placed a reassuring hand on his friend's shoulder. "It wasn't, and now, I have to live with the fact I couldn't save James Jesse." Cisco silently looked into Barry's eyes, that sure was something Barry would say to him to make him feel better. "Look Cisco we can't change the past, we can only live in the present because we don't know what the future will bring."

"Yeah man." Cisco nodded in agreement before putting the rudimentary cold gun away. "Hey you should go talk to Caitlin, and explain everything to her as well. She seemed a little more freaked out about this whole Trickster death than anyone else."

"Yeah, I'll go talk to her."

* * *

Dr. Snow was busy working in her lab mainly to avoid Barry for the time being. After what they apparently heard about how Barry murdered someone in cold blood she couldn't really take it, even though part of her still believed in Barry she had to admit he was acting rather strangely, like strange even for Barry standards. Then there was whatever happened last night. She couldn't totally remember it but apparently Barry took her home some time after they sang _Somebody to Love. _Part of her was glad that she couldn't remember it but at the same time she was sad that she couldn't, after all if she and Barry shared a tender moment of sorts she would have preferred to remember it. She was snapped out of her thoughts when said speedster coughed in her door way.

"What are you doing here Barry?" She asked there was no discernible emotion in her tone but she was certainly happy that he took an initiative to come and talk to her, possibly to clear the air between them.

"I needed to see you." Barry replied. "It's, well I figured we needed to talk. You know, I need to clear the air about what happened tonight, and what happened between us last night."

"How do you mean?" She was confused. Something did happen between them last night and quite frankly she was a little more invested in discovering what happened then rather than why Barry killed a psychopath. "What happened last night? And just to be clear I don't really remember much between singing and waking up."

Barry smiled at her and she felt her heart flutter. "I think I should keep you in suspense and explain what actually happened on the roof." She sighed in defeat and he walked over to her desk and sat down on its edge while Caitlin sat back down in her chair. "Cait, you know I could never kill anyone right." Barry gently told her. He was lying though his teeth, he had killed before all in the name of protecting those he loved in fact he killed The Reverse-Flash just to save her life, but that was a story for another time.

"Of course I know that Barry, it just isn't who you are." hearing her say that made Barry happier. "You are not a killer Barry."

"Then why do you seem to think I am?"

Caitlin sighed. "I don't think that Barry, James Jesse was a mad man who tried to destroy Central City and from the sound of things your instincts kicked in and you saved yourself and Axel Walker from that same fate. Every choice you make Barry is, at heart, a choice to save someone."

"Ok, maybe you do already know what happened." Barry chuckled "You'e always seen right through me Cait."

"I'm kind of glad I can see right through you." Awkward silence drifted between the two before they both began to laugh. "I'm sorry, that came out kind of wrong."

"No, it's OK Cait, I get what you mean." Barry shifted awkwardly as he thought about the previous night. "Do you still want to know what happened last night? I just don't want to ruin what we have here." Barry gestured to the space between them.

"Why would it ruin our friendship Barry?"

_Because there's something more_ Barry thought to himself before he opened his mouth to speak.

* * *

**The Previous Night**

Barry, Iris, Eddie Cisco and Caitlin all left the Karaoke bar simultaneously. The only one who was seemingly wasted was Cisco while both Caitlin and Iris appeared to be slightly intoxicated and Barry and Eddie appeared to be completely unaffected, Barry thanks to his metabolism and Eddie because he's a responsible designated driver and a cop.

Barry led Caitlin gently out of the bar all the while thinking of the dozens of dates they went on in his original time, same could be said of Iris, they had also gone on may dates though they were cut short by her abrupt and violent passing.

"Take it easy Caitlin." Barry pleaded as she almost tripped.

"Damn these evil shoes!" Barry had to admit drunk Caitlin was a fun loving Caitlin, she let loose a lot more than 'high school principle' Caitlin, and he absolutely adored having any form of Caitlin around, aside from the dying one he left to save. "Why do I subject myself to this daily torture?"

"I know the feeling sister!" Iris agreed with Caitlin. Barry had to admit, even after they dated for three years and were married for another two years Barry had rarely seen Iris buzzed let alone drunk.

"Barry~~ Save me from the evil shoes~~!" Caitlin suddenly shouted before jumping into his chest.

"Oomph!" instantly Barry fell to the ground with Caitlin still sitting on his waist. "Ow..." Barry groaned in pain but when he looked up at her he kind of wished he didn't since she was straddling him and her pencil skirt had ridden up a bit. If Barry lacked the self control he had he would have most definitely done something with Caitlin right there and then.

"Ugh, my butt hurts now." Caitlin complained as she let Barry up from underneath her. With a smile Barry knelt down and helped Caitlin remove her heels before he stood up and extended his hand to help the girl who had suddenly jumped into his chest moments earlier. "There you go Barry, saving me from evil clothing again."

"Just get in the car." Barry replied

"Alright, come on Iris," Eddie gently led her to his car. "Let's go home."

"OK Eddie."

"Hey guys can you give me a minute?" Barry asked as Caitlin and Cisco stood outside the bio-engineer's car. She nodded and Barry headed over to Eddie's Car and knocked on Iris' window. "Iris, Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"But Eddie's about to take me home Barry."

"It'll only take a second really." Barry shifted his gaze to Eddie to see if the ancestor of his arch-nemesis was ok with him talking to his girlfriend.

"I'll still be right here Iris." The detective said to his girlfriend. With a quick peck to the cheek Iris got out of the car to talk to

"Ok, what's up Barry?" Barry studied Iris' face. Her mascara was smeared, evidence that she'd been wiping away tears. tears that he undoubtedly caused when he practically called her out when he sang _I hate Myself for Loving You_

"I, I just want to apologize for what happened in the bar."

"You didn't do anything that needs apologizing." Iris tried to hide her pain but she couldn't hide all of it. Barry had bluntly and inadvertently called her out in front of the entire bar and she doubted that it was unintentional.

"No, I have everything to apologize for Iris. Ever since I woke up from my coma I've noticed how distant we've become and how lousy of a friend I am being."

"Where are you going with this Barry?"

"Let me make it up to you, please Iris." Iris sighed she really wanted things between her and Barry to go back to the way they were before he was struck by lightning, unfortunately ever since his confession of love to her last Christmas things have just gotten awkward especially after that lightning psychosis incident where Barry was practically demanding she break things off with Eddie so they could be together.

"Barry..." Iris was torn. One one hand she did want to patch up things between them, but at the same time she just felt like too much of their relationship couldn't be salvaged.

"Look, I'm not asking for a huge deal or anything, I just want to talk and if possible I want us both to just unload all the baggage we have." Iris sighed before giving Barry a smile.

"Alright Barry, we'll talk just not right now. I'm a little out of it and it looks like Caitlin and Cisco need your help."

Barry smiled at Iris before turning his attention back to Caitlin who was fumbling though her purse. "I'll call you Iris OK? I promise we'll make everything right." With that Barry headed back over to his team and with a smile he asked. "What's wrong Cait?"

"I can't find my keys! I think someone stole my keys!"

Barry sighed at her adorableness and pulled the keys out of his pocket to show her. "No one stole your keys Caitlin, you gave them to me back inside the bar."

"I did?" She saw the keys in Barry hand and went to grab them but Barry kept them out of her reach. "Come on Barry~!" she whined like a child. "I have to take Cisco home~!"

"I wouldn't be a good friend if I let you drive home in this condition Cait." Barry directed Caitlin and Cisco into the bio-engineer's car. "I'll be driving you guys home."

"Good I expect to get me home fast, Whoops Shhhhhh!" Caitlin made a comment about his speed and immediately shushed him. OK maybe she was a little more intoxicated than he thought, like _Summer Lovin'_ intoxicated.

"Get in the car."

"Aye aye mon capitaine!" Cisco saluted Barry before climbing into the back seat and laying down with his ass in the air.

"Take us home Flash." Caitlin drunkenly ordered.

"As you command Dr. Snow."

* * *

"Hey, Caitlin wake up you're home." Caitlin felt herself being lightly shaken. Her eyes fluttered open and she saw Barry standing over her with a caring smile.

"Ugh" She groaned and turned over in a faux attempt at falling asleep again. "Five more minutes Barry."

"Come on Cait, you can't just sleep in your car all night."

"Yes I can and you can't make me leave."

"Alright I will." Before Caitlin could process what he said Barry scooped her up in his arms and carried her into her apartment before setting her down on her feet.

"You're fast, can sing and you're strong? What didn't that lightning bolt give you?"

"Dunno, I haven't had the time to experiment." Barry slowly led her towards her bedroom.

"I had so much fun tonight Barry~!" She put a hand on her dresser to stabilize herself as she broke away from Barry.

"So did I Cait."

"We should make singing Karaoke a habit for us we're amazing at it!" Despite being completely out of tune Caitlin had fun singing especially with Barry.

"We certainly should, heck maybe we should start going dancing as well." Barry smiled to himself at his suggestion. I his timeline he and Iris would always go out dancing a tradition he carried over to Caitlin when they started to date three years after his wife was murdered.

"I think I'd like that."

"Well then I think I know something else you might like Caitlin."

"And what is that?"

"This." Barry began to lean in against his better judgement since this was kind of messing with the time line but if he didn't do it then odd were he and Caitlin would never admit to what was growing between them.

Caitlin herself could not resist the allure of Barry Allen and she leaned in and their lips met half way. For Barry this was an experience that he had missed, ever since his Caitlin violently relapsed she became catatonic and ice cold, draining the heat from everything that came close to her and leaving a freezer burn on anything that actually made contact with her.

"Wow…" Caitlin breathed out as they broke apart. "Did anyone tell you that you are an amazing kisser?"

"Only two people have told me that Cait, and you are one of them."

"I guess that makes me kind of special doesn't it?"

"Absolutely." Barry and Caitlin leaned back in and locked lips once again and this time the two of them began to lose themselves in the moment. Barry's hands maneuvered their way to the hem of Caitlin's blouse and began to snake their way up her back while her own hands began to tug at the buttons of his shirt. Dr. Snow and Mr. Allen couldn't keep their hands off each other as they began to discard each other's clothes as they made their way to Caitlin's bedroom.

Barry lifted her up and Caitlin wrapped her legs around his waist and instinctively they began to grind their hips together. "Take me to bed Barry" She whispered into his ear and sent shivers down his back.

Barry broke their kiss. Caitlin asking him to take her to bed snapped him back to reality. Did he want to sleep with Caitlin? Yes, more than anything right now, but there was a time and place for everything and he couldn't possibly take advantage of her like this. "Caitlin, we can't do this."

"Sure we can Barry, I want this."

"No, I'm sorry Caitlin." Barry lowered her onto her bed. And in a Flash he removed what was left of her cloths and changed her into her pajamas. "I can't do that to you, not like this."

"If you won't take me to bed will you at least stay the night?" Her pleading voice just melted his heart.

"I...I can do that." Barry smiled at her. "Just give me a minute." He flashed out of her apartment and literally a minute later he was standing at the foot of her bed in his pajamas carrying a duffel bag. "Sorry that took so long Caitlin, I couldn't decide what I was going to wear tomorrow."

Caitlin smiled and him and spread her covers inviting him to join her. After tossing his duffel to the side he hopped right into her bed and soon the two of them her drifting off into a peaceful night, and for one of them it was the best sleep they'd had in a long time.

* * *

**Present Time**

"Barry" Caitlin snapped right in front of his face and called his name instantly Barry out of his trance he didn't even know he was in. "Care to explain what happened last night?"

"Let me just test a theory. Ehem" Barry cleared his throat "~Can Anybody find Me~~!"

"Oh God…" Caitlin's face turned red and she tried to bury her face. Why was it when she was sober she was so sensitive about her singing but when she was shitfaced she absolutely did not care one bit?

"Do you remember me giving you a Cisco a lift home?"

"No I don't remember that Barry."

"Well, maybe it is for-"

"Though could you possibly explain to me why I found my clothes from yesterday strewn all over my apartment?"

"Ah That…Well um…you were quite intoxicated last night when I brought you home and…" _Just tell her Barry what's the worst that could happen?_ Barry took a deep breath "you might have started stripping right in front of me."

Caitlin's face turned red with embarrassment. "Oh my god… Did I really" He nodded and her face went redder.

"You even started to strip me." Barry continued with a smirk of his own.

"Stop! Just stop right there Mr. Allen!" Caitlin commanded, not she felt like he was teasing her. She was starting to regret asking Barry to tell her what happened after all she had shamelessly stripped in front of the guy she had a crush on and then proceeded to strip him. God she hoped she didn't do anything that might jeopardize their friendship.

"Oh come on it wasn't that bad." Barry shrugged his shoulders. "You've seen me shirtless loads of times it's only fair that I see you shirtless once or twice." Caitlin sent him an upset look. "Inappropriate, but you were asking for the details."

"Did anything else happen?" Caitlin was very hesitant to ask.

Barry thought back to the kiss they shared in her apartment or the fact he slept in bed with her last night but decided to not reveal that just yet. "Uh, no nothing else happened. I helped you change and then after you fell asleep I set you up for the morning before heading out myself."

The two of them stood there in an awkward silence. They sent each other silent glances at different times before they both just brandished wide smiles and started laughing.

"What is wrong with us?" Caitlin asked. "We're acting like we've got cooties. We're both in our twenties and yet we're embarrassed to admit we've seen each other…er…unclothed."

"Tell me about it." Barry rubbed the back of his neck.

Neither of them noticed the distance between them closing over the course of their conversation. They were inches away from each other and began to lean in.

"_Dr. Snow could you come up to the cortex?"_ Barry and Caitlin broke apart when Dr. Well's voice came up over the intercom.

"I guess I need to go to the Cortex." Caitlin said

"Yeah, go on Cait, I'll just see you later." With a smile to herself Caitlin headed off to the Cortex leaving Barry alone in her lab for a moment before he vanished in a flurry of azure electricity.

* * *

Caitlin walked into the Cortex to find Dr. Wells, Joe and Cisco together in the main lab.

"Uh, what's going on Dr. Wells?" Caitlin felt like she was being called to the principal's office, something that never actually happened to her like ever.

"We need your help." Joe was the first to respond to Caitlin. "Since we've got a problem."

"With what?" Cisco asked skeptically.

"With Barry." Dr. Wells finished. "Whoever he is, he isn't our Barry Allen."

* * *

This is the end of the chapter

Please tell me what you liked, didn't like, look forward to/think will happen, or your general thoughts and comments, this'll help me make this story better; I'm a big boy so I can take criticism. And if you Review you get a Shout Out and questions answered either privately or in the next chapter.

Have a Fantastic day.

**MORE REVIEW = FASTER UPDATES**


	8. Love Makes You Crazy

**Disclaimer: **The following is a nonprofit Fan based story; The FLASH and all related characters are owned by DC comics, the CW and anyone I may have missed.

A shout out to all you who reviewed the last chapter; **AReiss215, changingdestiny40, Shotter24, WM, Raquel, **and **Mr panda**

As per usual here are the individual responses to the guest reviewers;

**Shotter24:** Let me start off by saying the Reverse Flash will not be turning into a hero. He may be helping Team Flash with dealing with Future Barry as he would technically be the Big Bad of the story but he will be working on his own motives that will come to light soon.

**WM:** Like I told Shotter24, Harrison/Eobard will not be turning into a hero, though we may see what made him so evil.

**Raquel:** How is Barry good at lying? Well he hasn't been completely lying he's just been omitting certain truths and fabricating others. Plus he's had over a decade's worth of practice.

**Mr panda:** It was totally my intention to melt your Snowbarry heart.

Now this next chapter will be predominantly WestAllen so bear with me as that is the other main pairing of the story.

* * *

_The Flash: Rewriting History_

Chapter 8: Love Makes You Crazy

* * *

"What do you mean he isn't our Barry Allen?" Cisco asked. "Sure Barry's been acting strangely the last few days but he's still Barry. Unless Aliens abducted him and replaced him with an exact replica."

"I think we'd know if Barry were abducted by Aliens Cisco." Caitlin was just confused by this whole conversation. Sure Barry had been acting stranger lately, like flirting with her and apparently taking her back home last night and well who knows what else. "Its Barry, he's just got a new step in his life."

"That's exactly what we thought but." Joe turned to Dr. Wells who nodded. "Too many things just don't add up when we think about them."

"This is ridiculous." Caitlin had no idea what had everyone so spooked about Barry, seriously this was Barry they were talking about sweet innocent speedster Barry who almost kissed her not five minutes ago despite him being supposedly in love with Iris.

"Honestly one of the things that is different about this Barry is the fact he's been flirting with you Caitlin." Joe stepped in. "Nor has he ever done that before.

"You think this is a meta-human who can shapeshift to look Like Barry?" Cisco asked, under different circumstances he'd be rather excited for a shapeshifter though this one might have gotten to Barry.

"He looks, sounds and acts exactly like Barry does plus he's got Super speed so there's no way he's a fake." Caitlin argued against the idea that this 'other' Barry was anything but the original, by all accounts this was preposterous.

"It's possible but worst case scenario is that this is the man in the yellow suit." Dr. Wells shifted in his wheelchair as he spoke, he had do remove Joe, Cisco and Caitlin's faith in this Future Barry, without them he would falter and fail when next they meet.

"I highly doubt that." Caitlin voiced her opinion. "Why would he disguise himself as Barry instead of, you know, killing him? And for the record that is not the worst case scenario."

"And what is?" Joe asked.

"The worst case scenario is that this is Barry." Caitlin argued. "And his change in behavior is completely normal."

"Caitlin I like to think I know Barry very well." Joe argued back. Cisco could almost see the tension rising between Caitlin and Joe. "I've raised him for fourteen years. I know every detail about him and the way he's acting now is nothing like the man I raised." Joe wasn't blind, he noticed how Barry's affection seemed to be turning towards Caitlin and to be honest with himself it bothered him. Barry has been in love with Iris since forever, he would never just give up.

"What because he isn't showing the same interest in your daughter Joe?" Caitlin fired back part of her wasn't filtering the words that were coming out. "People change Joe."

"Caitlin you might want to back off a bit." Cisco didn't like the pissing contest that was arising between Caitlin and Joe. Most of the time they were on the same page when it came to Barry but now they were going at each other's throats.

Caitlin brushed away Cisco's concern and laid into Joe. "Did you ever think that maybe Barry's acting differently because he decided to move on with his life instead of remaining help up on your daughter?" Caitlin countered. As much as she loved Joe she honestly felt like that last comment was a personal jab that there couldn't be anything between her and Barry when their actions said otherwise. Caitlin's tone was quite out of character for her and almost immediately after saying it she noticed the looks from the three men. "I need some air." With a shake of her head Caitlin began to walk out of the cortex.

"Caitlin wait!" Cisco called after his friend but she ignored him and continued walking away.

"It doesn't looks like Caitlin's with us." Joe said with a heavy sigh. Now he felt guilty at the words he and Caitlin had exchanged. Was she right? Had Barry truly moved on from his daughter? That was impossible, you don't just move on from someone you've been in love with for most of your life.

"No she's with us." Cisco argued. "I'll go talk to her, she just needs some time to process that our best friend is not really our best friend"

"Go on Cisco, In the mean time I say we should all retire for the night it is quite late." Dr. Wells began to roll towards the exit. "We'll get some concrete evidence that this isn't Barry tomorrow, we can't really do that while we're all sleep deprived."

* * *

Cisco chased Caitlin down the halls of STAR labs back to her lab he stopped himself from entering her lab when he saw her on her phone.

"Yeah, uh actually could you meet me at my apartment later?" She paused listening to the person on the other end. "I know it's kind of late but I really need to talk to you." Another pause. "Well if you can't come by tonight can we go get coffee tomorrow morning?" She paused again and Cisco watched as her face dropped whatever the person on the other end said it clearly upset Caitlin. He really didn't like the look of hurt on her face. "Oh, I see, well, have fun tomorrow. Just please call me at some point tomorrow, I have something important to ask you. OK, talk to you later, bye Barry."

It was Barry, Caitlin was talking to Barry. What did she say to him? Cisco watched as Caitlin put on her coat and grabbed her purse and began to walk towards him. Thinking fast Cisco acted like he had just gotten there, nearly bumping into Caitlin.

"Whoa! Oh, I'm sorry Cisco." Caitlin apologized as Cisco backed off slightly feigning his lack of knowledge that she was just talking to Barry. "Are you leaving?"

The fact Caitlin had contacted Barry after their pow wow about how he could be an imposter didn't sit too well with Cisco, did she just tell Barry they were going to be investigating him? He doubted that, Caitlin was probably trying to meet with him face to face to ask him directly."Huh? Oh, yeah I'm heading out right now Caitlin and I was wondering if I could hitch a ride."

"Sorry Cisco but right now I need some time alone." She sighed heavily and re adjusted her purse.

"Ok, that's fine I'll just ask Joe for a ride. Well, I'll see you tomorrow. Oh and Caitlin" The bio-engineer stopped in her tracks and turned back to her friend. "Just be careful."

Caitlin didn't even respond as she turned back around and headed for the STAR Labs exit.

* * *

The Next Day

Barry and Iris slowly strolled down the path in the park that ran adjacent to the great Missouri River. Iris thought it was rather odd, here they were, they had been meaning to find a place to as Barry put it, patch things up between them, so why would he need a duffle bag?

"So Barry why have you chosen the Riverside Park as the place we catch up? It's rather public don't you think?"

"That's kind of one of the reasons I brought you here Iris." The publicity of where they were would prevent Iris from any potential freak-out she may have. But deep down Barry chose this place because it was the place he had promised her that he'd always be there for her, never lie to her, and always protect her, two of those he failed at and was determined to make it right.

* * *

**December 31 2019 – 11:30pm**

Barry stood in front of the mirror looking over his suit. And not his newest Flash suit rather the black tuxedo with the red bow-tie he had spent the last week making sure absolutely nothing happened to it.

He exhaled heavily while trying to shake all the jitters out of his system. God he was nervous, he should be it was his wedding day. The Day he would marry the love of his life Iris West. Soon she would be Iris West-Allen just like the future newspaper said she would but this was because she wanted to be Iris West-Allen not because some stupid newspaper said so.

"Hey man you Ok?" Barry looked over his shoulder to Cisco standing there in a tuxedo of his own.

"I've time traveled, fought a insane immortal, fought against gods, became a god, gone to space, and constantly save Central City on a weekly basis and yet I've never been more scared than I am right now." Barry replied

"Dude you're just getting married it's not like the universe is ending or anything." Cisco chuckled at his friends dilemma at getting married. "Look, after today its just going to be you and Iris against the world."

Barry smiled. "Cisco have I ever thanked you for being my Best Man?"

"Not enough times man. Now let's get you out there. Otherwise you'll be late for your own wedding."

Meanwhile Over in Joe's house Iris was looking over herself in the mirror in a slight panic, when she picked out her wedding dress two months ago it fit perfectly and now, for some odd reason Felicity was having trouble zipping up the back.

"Jesus. Why doesn't it fit anymore?" Iris asked as she held her hair over her shoulder so it couldn't get caught in the zipper. "I swear it fit a month ago."

"Not to sound rude Iris but you have been eating a lot over the last month." Caitlin said as she walked in the room. She and Felicity were both wearing crimson colored dresses while Iris wore a pure white gown. "Just saying."

"Yeah well, it isn't every day you get married to the man of your dreams." Iris immediately regretted her words not one second later as she gave Caitlin an apologetic look. "I'm so sor-"

"Its fine Iris, really I think I'm finally past Ronnie." Caitlin's gaze shifted to her left hand that wore her engagement ring and wedding band before becoming bare. "It was only for a few hours but I was married to the man of my dreams." Caitlin flashed Iris a smile while small tears escaped her eyes. "Enough about me and my being a widow today is all about you Iris."

"Deep breath Iris." Felicity Queen ordered to which the chocolate skinned woman complied. With one clean pull of the zipper Felicity managed to close the dress after ten minutes of struggling. "Alright I got it!" Felicity cheered to herself as she finally closed the zipper.

"Thanks Felicity." Iris let her hair back down and looked over herself in the mirror for the umpteenth time. "Oh god it's finally happening." Technically Iris didn't have a Maid of honor since technically Caitlin and Felicity were both married and she couldn't decide between the two of them. She never thought she's have a Matron of Honor instead of a Maid of Honor but here she was with two of them.

Felicity looked at the clock and her eyes got a little wider. "Oh crap, we've got to go if you and Barry want to time this perfectly!" being the hawker that she was Felicity began to push Iris out of her room and towards the limo.

Before they were even out the door Iris instinctively moved a hand to her stomach. "Oh Crap…" She whirled around and headed straight into the bathroom. Caitlin and Felicity could only listen as the bride locked herself in the bathroom to release dinner from a few hours ago.

"Iris are you OK?" Caitlin asked

"I am hunched over my toilet puking my guts out on my wedding day, what do you think?" She shouted back through the door.

* * *

**11:35pm**

Barry, for once in his life, was early, stood under the flowered arch that served as the entrance for their wedding beside him stood Cisco, Oliver, Jay, the groomsmen and Hal his best man. They were waiting for the bridal party so they could start the wedding.

Barry began tapping his fool like an over excited rabbit. "Damn where are they?" He kept looking at his phone.

"Dude calm down they'll be there." Cisco tried to reassure him.

"Hey they're here!" Hal called getting Barry and Cisco's attention.

"Oh thank God."

"I'm sure you mean thank the Speed Force."

"Shut up." Barry watched as Joe got out of the Limo and opened the door for Iris and her bridesmaids.

"Hey you." Iris cheerefully greeted Barry.

"Hey there my wife to be. Are you ready to do this?" The Flash asked back.

"I feel like I've been waiting my whole life for this."

With a smile Barry turned to the wedding party. "Let's do this!"

They chose a rather unorthodox music selection; everyone got a song that best described them. Leading the charge was Jay Garrik and Jessie Wells dancing down the aisle to AC/DC's _Thunderstruck, _appropriate considering both of them had become speedsters prior to the defeat of Zoom_._

Following behind them were Cisco and Laurel jamming away to Paramore's _Ain't it Fun, _a song they mutually agreed was fitting for them both.

Following the unlikely duo of Laurel and Cisco was the Queens, Oliver and Felicity. Despite Oliver's protests they cut loose down the aisle to the upbeat tune of _Bad Reputation_ by Canadian musician Avril Lavigne.

The Final duo to come down the aisle was Hal Jordan escorting the lovely Caitlin Snow. Hal originally wanted _Danger Zone_ to play but Caitlin argued against it as only Caitlin could so they had to compromise, with Smash Mouth's _Everyday Superhero_ since that's what everyone saw them as.

Once the wedding party had made it up to the Arch that was serving as the alter it was time Barry go down the aisle. Normally the Groom would walk his mother down the aisle heck Barry would have been happy to be walked down the aisle by his dad but unfortunately Henry Allen Passed away in 2018 from heart failure so Barry had to walk down the aisle alone. Imagine his surprise when Caitlin played a song just for him; _Carry on My Wayward Son_ by Kansas. It had actually caught Barry off guard and his eyes met Caitlin's for a moment before he made his way down the aisle with more life in his steps.

Finally it was time for Iris to come down the aisle escorted by none other than her father. Barry gulped as he took him how beautiful she looked. Over the sound system _Lullabye_ by the incredible pianist Billy Joel came on driving a few people to tears, Joe included.

* * *

**11:50pm**

Barry took Iris' hand in his own as they turned to the priest overseeing their wedding.

"Well, how is everyone doing?" the priest asked. "Now I know its New Year's Eve and we're all a little chilly but tonight we are gathered here to celebrate the marriage of Bartholomew Henry Allen and Iris Ann West. Considering you two wanted this planned out so you are married at exactly midnight I might have to rush through a few things."

"Fine by us." Iris said.

"Hurry up, I can't stand not being married to Iris any second longer.

"Alright then let's jump to the vows you two chose to write." He scanned the crowd. "Now, who has the rings?" Both Hal and Caitlin came forward. Hal gave Iris Barry's ring and Caitlin gave Barry Iris' ring. "Alright whenever you are ready please share your vows."

With a deep breath Barry began to speak. "Iris, words cannot describe how I feel about you. You've been a part of my life for seemingly forever through the good and the bad no matter what. And standing here tonight with you well, let's just say I have been waiting my entire life for this." Barry's words brought Iris close to tears. She felt the exact same way and now it was her turn to tell him. taking her hand Barry slid the wedding band onto her ring finer.

"Iris, would you like to say your vows?"

"Barry, ever since you came into my life almost twenty or so years ago. I never thought that it would be us at the alter together. Through the seemingly endless swarm of boyfriends and girlfriends I was beginning to think maybe we would never happen. But then something happened. Something made us happen and to this day I still do not know if it was us or the universe, but I am glad we decided on our own." Iris took Barry's hand and slid his wedding band onto his right ring finger since his left on was occupied by a certain gold ring with a lightning bolt.

"Well if no one has any objections we'll be finishing up here." The preist cleared his throat. "Barry, do you take Iris Ann West to be your wife?"

"I do."

"And do you Iris take Bartholomew Henry Allen to be your husband?"

"Yes I do." She said admits tears.

"Then by the power vested in me and in front of all these lovely witnesses, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride in…" He looked down at his watch and nodded to Barry and Iris. With a smile Barry and Iris leaned in just as everyone began to count down.

"10"

"9"

"8"

"7"

"6"

"5"

"4"

"3"

"2"

"1"

**12:00am**

At exactly midnight Barry and Iris locked lips starting the New Year as husband and wife. Everything regarding their wedding had gone off without a hitch; everyone was applauding them as Barry dipped the woman of his dreams.

* * *

**Present Time**

"I know this place doesn't look like much but believe me when I say it is the most special place for us. I can never lie to you here, not now not ever."

Iris cocked an eyebrow. "Okay…" Barry was sounding oddly like he did when he had that spree of lightning psychosis. Was he telling the truth or was this one of those moments Caitlin warned her and Eddie about how Barry can have lapses in judgement, Part of her thought it would be best to call the bio engineer to let her know Barry was having one such moment. But at the same time another part of her listened attentively to each word he spoke and held onto it like it was a lifeline. "Well Barry you were the one who called me in the middle of the night last night to finish our conversation so shoot."

"Like I promised two days ago, I want to patch up our relationship. Ever since I told you I loved you last Christmas and …my affliction came to light things have…well things have gotten weird between us."

"If you are inquiring what I think about you and Caitlin Barry I want you to know I'm OK with it. You deserve a woman in your life as beautiful smart and caring as Caitlin."

"No, that's not why I'm here. God why is it every time we talk or try to talk about us you've been bringing up me and Caitlin?"

"No reason, I just think you two make a cute couple." Perhaps Barry had screwed up with pursuing an early relationship with Caitlin now Iris seemed to be content with the girl he was showing interest in. "Have you taken my advice and ask her out yet?"

"No!" Barry fired back defensively. "Look Iris I didn't bring you here to talk about me an Caitlin. We are here to fix our relationship, the one we both seem to be sabotaging because we don't know what the heck we're doing."

"Barry, you're my best friend, always have been always will be." Iris tried to argue. "Whatever was wrong with our relationship Caitlin cleared it up when she told me and Eddie about your lightning psychosis."

"Iris…we may not have been completely honest with you since, well since I woke from my coma."

"What are you saying Barry? You and Caitlin have been lying about your lightning psychosis? Are Cisco and Dr. Wells involved in this? Is my dad?" Now Iris was playing twenty questions though she may not like any of the answers she was going to get since they would be shattering her world.

"Yes…" Barry replied after a minute of silence. "We all have been lying to you and Eddie Iris. And it's the biggest secret I've ever kept from you, even bigger than how I've, how I feel about you."

"Are you saying that when you told me you love me you were being completely honest?" Iris felt her heart breaking if this were true then last Christmas when Barry told her how he felt she had crushed his heart. And a week ago when Barry was telling her how he knew she loved him and how she should call things off with Eddie that was also truly Barry and not some lightning psychosis thing.

"Yes Iris, I love you. I've been in love with you my whole life. I can never get you out of my head. Please do me the courtesy of being honest with yourself."

Iris opened her mouth to respond but she found she couldn't say a word. Yes she loved Barry with all her heart, more than she loved Eddie but she couldn't just break things off with Eddie, he's a great guy who does everything to make her happy. "I…I…" She turned away from Barry. "Barry, I get what you are saying and I…I'd be lying if I said I don't feel that way."

"Then let's stop lying and start doing." Barry pleaded.

"Barry, we can't. I…I'm with Eddie remember? And you, you have Caitlin. I can't ask you to give up on someone you clearly love if I'm not willing to do the same." That wasn't really the reaction Barry was expecting.

Barry turned Iris around and lifted her chin. "Iris, it's true I do have feelings for Caitlin but…I also have feelings for you, and for me I can't figure out where my feelings for you end and my feelings for Caitlin begin." Iris had tears forming in her eyes hearing Barry's words should normally make any girl feel jealous and betrayed but hearing them from Barry made her heart ache even more. "And Iris, like I said before, there's one other secret I want to tell you." He stepped back despite Iris' confused look. "Please don't blame Cisco or Caitlin in any of this Iris, it was all mine and Joe's idea. We wanted to protect you."

"Protect me from what?"

Barry took a deep breath. "It would be better if I just showed you." In a flash of predominantly yellow electricity before Iris stood The Flash, Barry Allen, her best friend, the man she truly loved with all her heart.

Iris took a step back and while she cried lightly she ran a hand through her hair. She had no clue how to process this revelation. On one hand she was furious that Barry, her father, Dr. Wells, Cisco and Caitlin all had been lying to her for the last six months, but at the same time so many things were starting to make sense, Barry's strange behavior, Caitlin's kidnapping, all the odd behavior any time she swung by his lab or STAR Labs.

"Why? Why would you all lie to me? What is going on here Barry? I thought we were friends, best friends even. Heck we're like brother and sister I've never withheld anything from you and now you come out saying you've been hiding something from me for the last six months?" Once again Barry was surprised by her reaction.

"Yes…" Barry hung his head. "We lied to you Iris to protect you but now, I feel like you would have been safer if we brought you into the fold." He reached out to try and gently stroke her face but Iris brushed his hand away and took a few steps backwards. "Iris…"

"I…I'm sorry Barry but…I…I need some time alone…to…process…this…" Iris turned around and while crying silently to herself she left the Flash alone by the water front truning the place of one of his happiest memories with one of the saddest.

"No…no…this wasn't supposed to happen…" Barry removed his cowl and began to cry to himself. "Not this way…"

* * *

This is the end of the chapter

Please tell me what you liked, didn't like, look forward to/think will happen, or your general thoughts and comments, this'll help me make this story better; I'm a big boy so I can take criticism. And if you Review you get a Shout Out and questions answered either privately or in the next chapter.

Have a Fantastic day.

**MORE REVIEW = FASTER UPDATES**


	9. Labors of Lost Love

**Disclaimer: **The following is a nonprofit Fan based story; The FLASH and all related characters are owned by DC comics, the CW and anyone I may have missed.

A shout out to all you who reviewed the last chapter; **changingdestiny40, Violet Eternity, Mr panda, Mason Marek, Killie159, deleriouz2468, Guest, .Life, SnowyDoves, Immortalman18, lunaloveskuna, wildbeast1498, Angel-of-the-Seas,** and** MikKir6453**

Guest reviewers you know the drill;

**Violet Eternity: **Glad you love it. I'll be trying to update all my stories quicker. Last month has been rather hectic.

**Mr Panda: **Your question relating to Barry and time traveling to save Iris will be answered in this chapter.

**Guest: **We'll be seeing present Barry much more frequently after this chapter.

** .Life: **Nice to hear that you love this. Not sure why doesn't let me type out your username, its really odd.

Also this chapter is a flashback(forward) heavy chapter that is predominantly Westallen so I hope the Westallen Fans enjoy it and don't hate me for what happens in it.

* * *

_The Flash: Rewriting History_

Chapter 9: Labors of Lost Love

* * *

People were going about the night life of Central City when a stream of blue blew by them. Thinking it was the Flash they would all turn and anxiously try and catch a glimpse of their favorite hero, unfortunately he was nothing but a blur and he needed to think. When he needed to think he would run or in very rare cases stand still.

Barry tore through Central City like a cobalt bolt of lightning. Barely stopping to save the occasional bystander, stop any mugging or robbery. He eventually came to a stop atop the tallest building in Central City and stood on the edge overlooking the city. Removing his mask and disengaging his lightning Barry Allen just stared silently at the city.

"Can't they see I'm trying to stop this madness? I'm trying to save everyone for the horrible fates that await them?" Barry let his mind drift back to when Iris, his first wife, was murdered because he felt worse now than he did then.

* * *

**July 16 2021**

Iris' wake was open casket, it's what she wanted and there were no external wounds from where the Reverse-Flash had run her through. Barry, a tearful Joe, Wally, Dawn and Don stood next to the casket as people paid their respects to Iris and to her remaining family.

The first one to show up was Caitlin. She paid her respects then promptly pulled the Allens and Wests into fierce hugs and offered condolences. She were followed shortly by the remnants of Team Arrow, Team Legends, the Central City Police Department, Central City Picture News staff.

Once the service was complete they moved on to the funeral, and that was where the real tears began to fall. Everyone stood in a large circle of black around Iris' now closed coffin. Barry didn't know why he did it but he asked, almost begged, Caitlin to help him with Dawn

"Daddy why are they burying Momma?" Don asked while tugging at Barry's collar. Barry turned to his daughter tears were welling up in both their eyes.

"Don…" Barry wanted to comfort her but he choked on the words. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Dawn squirming in Caitlin's grasp. He could only imagine what his daughter was thinking and feeling. Tears welled up in his son's eyes as he buried himself in the crook of Barry's neck.

"Pweese stop…" Over with Caitlin, Dawn was starting to sound like she was begging. "Don' burry Momma!" She made movements to reach out to try and break from Barry's grasp. "Momma can' work if you burry her!" Dawn's words echoed so everyone could hear them and on a dime everyone began to tear up.

"MOMMA!" Both Allen children screamed as the gravediggers began to cover the casket with the pile of earth next to them.

* * *

**July 17 2021**

Barry stood over the freshly buried grave. Hundreds of flowers decorated the headstone and the fresh patch of dirt.

The words on the stone carved deeply into everyone who read them, especially Barry;

**Here Lies Iris West-Allen  
Beloved Daughter, Sister, Mother, Best Friend**  
**A Wonderful Person Tragically Taken From Those That Love Her**

**June 24 1988 – July 11 2020**

Dawn clung to his chest as if he would disappear if she let go while Don clutched his hand tightly. They were both only one and didn't quite understand the concept of death yet but they learned fast that their mother wasn't coming back.

For Barry seeing that his children were going to grow up without their mother felt like jagged knife to his heart. He had hoped that he and Iris would be able to raise them together so that they wouldn't have to experience the childhoods and the lack of a parent's love. But seeing his children like this Barry could barely hold back his tears as he thought back to the previous day.

"I'm so sorry Iris…" Barry breathed heavily. He crouched down and rested his hand on Iris' tombstone. "I'm so sorry I wasn't able to protect you, to save you, and now…now our kids will grow up like me…no mother to raise them…to shower them with your love…to teach them all the things a father can't…" Barry's tear ducts began to well up as he fought the urge to cry. He needed to be strong for Don and Dawn, he needed to be strong now that Iris was gone. "I promise I will fix this."

He stood up and took his children's' hands.

"Where are we going now daddy?" Dawn asked. He little voice still quivered with sadness. Don just kept staring at the ground as if it were the most interesting thing in the universe.

"You two are going to stay with Grandpa Joe for a while." Barry explained. "I have to go do something important."

"Don't go daddy!" Don snapped his attention to Barry and wrapped his little arms tightly around Barry's leg.

"Hey, buddy…" Barry crouched down to Don's height. "I'll be back, I promise, and things are going to be so much better."

"Really?"

"But daddy, we don' want things better! We want you!" Dawn cried

"Absolutely bud, now let's get you two back to Grandpa Joe's."

* * *

**Present (2015)**

Brief images of what happened next flashed through Barry's mind. After he dropped Don and Dawn off at Joe's Barry made his first jump into the past to try and save Iris, and from there everything went down the crapper.

Barry hit a few buttons on his wrist before a hologram appeared. "Gideon, Show me how much I've changed."

-**Certainly Barry Allen-** Gideon flickered before showing the Flash dozens of articles dictating how Vibe saved the city written by Iris West in the year 2022, two years after Cisco was supposed to die. Another which was quite troubling to him was one in which an unknown Woman was fighting Killer Frost and Deathstorm and apparently winning. There was also one he saw that brought a small smile to his face where the central picture was Him, Vibe and the woman standing together in a victorious pose as if about to fight.

**CENTRAL CITY SAVED ONCE AGAIN BY THE CENTRAL TRINITY**

**By Iris West**

Barry didn't even bother to read the article as he was focused on the name, Iris West, not Iris West-Allen. Had he just destroyed his chances with Iris by revealing who he? But if he did then why was it West and not West-Thawne or just Thawne. He also had no idea who this woman was.

"Gideon...Why does Iris not share my last name?" Barry asked

-**There are no records of any Iris West-Allen-**

"What!? Why?"

-**According to Records after the death of her fiancé Detective Edward Thawne in the year 2015 any potential romantic possibility between you and Miss West deteriorated-**

Barry hung his head, had revealing his identity to Iris this early destroy his chances with her? Apparently it did as she was engaged to Eddie but then he was to die in approximately four years. "And what of the woman standing to my left in that picture? Who is she?"

**-The Woman's name is Blizzard and she is the hero persona of Dr. Caitlin Snow- **Gideon replied confusing Barry.

"What?" Somehow Caitlin's future had been changed and apparently now she Barry and Cisco all would fight together as a superhero team, though it seemed like she had abilities different from the cryokinetic ones she originally developed. "Actually this is a good thing, if she doesn't have her cryokinetic abilities then they won't be killing her, tell me what is her condition on April 24 2024."

-**Certainly- **A simple photograph came into view before Barry, and it filled him with hope, it was a simple photo one of him and Caitlin on their wedding day, dated June 16 2024.

"This...this...she...Caitlin's alright?"

-**Affirmative-**

"And our child?" He asked, according to the photo Caitlin showed no signs of being pregnant since by then she should be at least six months along. "Are we still going to be expecting our first child? Or is it lost? Erased from existence?"

-**There is nothing that indicates Dr. Snow is or will be pregnant with your child-** Barry's heart fell like a lump of lead in the ocean. His actions had erased his and Caitlin's child from existence, they never got a chance to find out if it was going to be a boy or a girl, sure they had decided on some names, Ben if it was a boy and either Ashley or Danielle if it was a girl.

"And there's nothing indicating Dawn and Don were born either correct?"

-**Affirmative-**

The truth was staring him blatantly in the face, he may have saved Iris and Caitlin, but in doing so it looked as if he erased all his children from existence, and that made him feel as if he had killed them himself. Which made him think back to his original time line where Iris was murdered, to the time he promised himself to never time travel again.

* * *

**July 17 2021**

After dropping Dawn and Don off at Joe's house he took off running to S.T.A.R. Labs. After flipping a few switches, and ignoring Caitlin's concerned pleas, Barry activated the Particle Accelerator while he was running around at Mach 4, He punched a hole in the Space Time Continuum with the power of the Speed Force and took off for six days in the past.

* * *

**Alternate July 11 2021 – Take 1**

Barry and Iris sat together in Jitters talking happily as they sipped their coffee and waited for their breakfast. Barry was just glad he got Iris out long before his arch nemesis could kill her.

"So, what's the big occasion Barry?" Iris asked

"Nothing" Barry said smiling. "I just think we should spend the day together that's all."

"Now that I think about it we haven't done that in a long while." Iris smiled at him as she took a sip of her coffee leaving a little cream mustache on her lip causing Barry to laugh.

"Here you go, one cinnamon raisin muffin." The waitress placed the muffin in front of Iris before placing a mountain of food in front of Barry. "And for you, Three Onion Bagels, with Grape Jam, two breakfast sandwiches with ham, and Two more of our signature Flashes."

Barry shot Iris a smile but then he noticed her clutching her throat and coughing.

"Iris?" She just continued coughing before falling over onto the floor "Iris?" In a heartbeat, but not too fast, Barry caught Iris in his arms and cradled her in his arms. "Help! Some one help!"

* * *

**Alternate July 11 2021 – Take 2**

Barry and Iris once again sat together in Jitters talking happily as they sipped their coffee and waited for their breakfast.

"So, what's the big occasion Barry?" Iris asked.

"Nothing" Barry said smiling. "I just think we should spend the day together that's all."

"Now that I think about ti we haven't done that in a long while." Iris smiled at him as she took a sip of her coffee leaving a little cream mustache on her lip causing Barry to laugh.

"Here you go, one cinnamon raisin muffin." The waitress placed the muffin in front of Iris before placing a mountain of food in front of Barry. "And for you, Three Onion Bagels, with Grape Jam, two breakfast sandwiches with ham, and Two more of our signature Flashes."

"Maybe you should hold off on the muffin Iris."

"Are you saying I'm fat Barry?" Iris demanded jokingly.

"No of course not Iris."

"Then I'm going to eat the muffin." Using his super speed Barry swapped out Iris' muffin with a different one on the counter, and just to be safe.

While eating Iris scrunched up her face before giving Barry a strange look. "Does this muffin taste funky to you Barry?" Before Barry could even answer Iris collapsed face first onto the table, not breathing, not moving.

A shocked Barry just looked at the body of his wife. "Iris?" It was like the universe was conspiring against him and his attempts to save his wife.

* * *

**Alternate July 11 2021 – Take 10**

Barry felt like this was getting ridiculous, so far Iris kept dying but in ways that should have been extraordinarily easy for him to prevent and yet each and every attempt lead to some new and some times bizarre death. So far he had managed to avoid eating at jitters, avoid the going to the park or the river front, this time he took her to the movies to see a movie Iris wanted to see, which she never got to see originally.

Thankfully nothing happened during the movie, unfortunately after the movie is when things went down hill. And this was before the meta-human attack Barry knew he'd have to deal with, at some point, eventually.

"So what do you want to do now Iris?" Barry asked as they exited the movie theater with their arms linked together.

"I don't know Barry, you seem to be the one with the plan for today."

"Yeah, well, I'm kind of winging it right now." Barry confessed truthfully.

"Just hold up for a minute Barry while I use the ladies room." Iris said breaking away from his arms. Barry started to panic at the idea of leaving Iris alone even if it was for her to just go to the bathroom.

"Uh, i don't think that's such a good idea Iris, you never know what could happen in a public restroom."

"Barry I'll be fine its just the bathroom." Iris insisted as she headed off to the Bathroom. "You act like I'm going to die if I go in there." After nine tries Barry though he had seen it all and Iris' comment did catch him slightly off guard."

"That's ridiculous Iris, you're going to be totally fine." He tried to reassure her, well more like reassure himself, to be honest he had no clue what would happen and he dreaded what will happen.

"Then I'll be going to the bathroom now." Iris whirled around and entered the women's room.

Barry stood out side and waited for what seemed like forever. It was far too quiet and it was taking Iris way too long to be in there. "Iris? Iris are you OK in there?" fear gripped him and he kicked to door wide open to see Iris crumpled on the floor with blood pooling around her head. Looking around he could see a part of the porcelain sink was broken off and was splattered with her blood. From What Barry gathered Iris had slipped and hit her head, hard.

"No, no, no, no no, no!" Barry chanted over and over again as he found himself in the familiar position of cradling Iris' body. Once more a day going great was swept away by a dark tragedy.

* * *

**Alternate July 11 2021 – Take 23**

Barry walked down the side walk with Iris, they had just left the Precinct and happily chatted away. As of right now there was still a few hours until a Meta-human attack according to the events of the original July 11, but for Barry he needed to take each moment with Iris one minute at a time.

They made it through breakfast, through the movies, through lunch (after half a dozen tires), and now they had managed to get through the majority of the day and all that was left to do was for them to pick up Dawn and Don and for Barry to deal with the impending meta-human attack, which was easier said than done even if he knew exactly how to take him down.

"Well we've got to go pick up the kids from preschool now Barry." Iris looked down into her bag to grab her car keys. "We should do this more often."

"What? the Date day?" Barry unquired

"Yeah, it's fun. Maybe next time we can make it a family excursion."

"IRIS LOOK OUT!" Barry's warning came milliseconds too late as a yellow car came out of nowhere and collided with Iris at blinding speeds.

Barry was by iris's side in a heartbeat and cradled her limp body in his arms. "Oh god no…" tears and snot dripped down his face onto her still form.

Yeah, the universe was definitely out to get them.

* * *

**Alternate July 11 2021 – Take 47**

Barry's patience was wearing thin as each attempt to keep Iris alive ended in failure, each time he managed to keep her alive a little longer, but it was shortly after that she would be killed in some other horrific way. Just last time Barry helplessly watched as Iris was killed by a hail of shattered glass caused by the upcoming meta-human attack.

The last forty seven times Barry lived this day there was a meta-human attack by someone called Tremor, a meta-human with the ability to generate earthquakes and shockwaves, and every time he left to fight him Iris was usually killed during the fight, either directly or indirectly, whenever she headed to the scene of their fight. After all this was apparently supposed to happen soon but keeping Iris alive seemed to accelerate their meeting. But this time Barry decided it would be best if he left Iris in the safety of the Central City Precinct.

"Sorry about this Iris, but you need to stay here." He handcuffed her to his desk in a flash and grabbed his suit from his locker.

"What the hell Barry!?" Iris yelled at him as he sped out of the room. "What are you doing!?" she demanded as she struggled against the cuffs.

"I'm sorry Iris but you'll thank be tomorrow." Barry whispered as he headed out to fight this dangerous meta-human.

After about five minutes Iris managed to escape form the handcuffs using one of her hair pins, she had to remember to thank her dad for teaching her how to pick a lock or two. Rumbling shook the building suddenly. Bracing herself against Barry's desk Iris looked out the window to see one of the smaller buildings in downtown Central City shake violently before collapsing. "BARRY!" Iris yelled in horror at the thought that her husband was in that building, unfortunately her terror was well placed as Barry was trapped beneath the rubble.

Outside the precinct Marshal Thatch, a once promising architect who lost everything in the Particle Accelerator Explosion, extended his hands towards the precinct. His former partner had been contracted to build the police station using his stolen designs so now he was going to tear it apart. The building shook violently and pieces of it began to fall off

A rush of air behind him made Tremor turn around to see a battered and bruised Flash standing before him. "EDWARDS!" The Flash yelled angrily. "I know you're angry but destroying everything your ex partner built is not the way to get justice for what happened to you!"

"You think I'm doing this because of justice Flash? I'm doing this because I want to!" Tremor turned around and slammed his fist in the direction of the Precinct. Large cracks and fissures ran through the air as if it were made of glass.

"NO!" Barry yelled as he helplessly watched fissures and cracks tear through the Precinct and the building came down in a thunderous crash and throwing up a cloud of dust so think Tremor slipped away as Barry began to viciously shift through the rubble.

Barry found her half her body was crushed under the weight of debris from his lab while her other half was covered in cuts from glass and burns from chemicals.

* * *

**Alternate July 11 2021 – Take 100**

Barry didn't know what else to do. One hundred tries and he had witnessed Iris's death ninety nine times and he had this horrible feeling inside his gut that this time was going to be no different. He knew the only way to set things back to normal was to repeat the day exactly as it had originally went, with the Reverse-Flash murdering Iris. He had no idea how his life would be if she died, he knew he felt dead inside more and more but at the same time, seeing her die over and over again it made him feel, well, ok with the fact she was dead, and he hated that feeling.

"So let me get this straight, you want to stay here, together all day, do nothing, interact with no one, just sit here and talk?"

"That's the gist of it." Barry replied to his wife.

"Ok, what's our first conversation going to be about Barry?"

"There is no easy way to say this Iris, but today you die."

"What?"

"Just...just let me finish Iris." Barry pleaded "The Reverse-Flash was originally going to kill you today, but I stopped that. but ever since then you've consistently died every time."

"Every time? just how many times have I died Barry?"

"Nearly one hundred times." Barry hung his head. "I've watched you die so many times Iris, some weren't as serious as they should have been while others were horrifying to watch." Iris just patted his shoulder reassuringly. "I know I promised that I would always protect you Iris...but I don't...I don't think I can anymore..." Tears freely fell down his cheeks as he burried his face in Iris' shoulder.

The Flash's wife just stroked his hair and rubbed his back trying to comfort the broken man. "Barry...I understand that it hurts but you need to move on from this." Barry looked up from her shoulder and into her eyes. Iris was telling him to move on from her? Why? Didn't she know how much he loved her? He couldn't possibly live without her.

"Iris I...I can't move on...I...I need you...I love you too much."

"Barry there are other people out there who need you more than I do, Dawn, Don, my Dad, Wally and Caitlin..." She said Caitlin's name a little quieter than the other four. She knew there was something between Barry and Caitlin, but she didn't think it was her place to pry into something the two scientist meta-humans silently agreed wasn't there. She never told Barry this but several years ago about a day after She and Barry had a large fight Iris had walked in on Barry and Caitlin kissing. She didn't know what the circumstance behind the kiss was nor did she want to know as it hurt too much to think about it.

"When I'm gone Barry I need you to be strong for everyone," Iris pleaded. "If I am supposed to die today then you should let it happen...isn't that what happened when you went to save your mother?"

"But…Iris…" Iris silenced Barry by placing her lips on his.

"And another thing Barry, I want…no I need you to go back to Dawn and Don when it's over." Barry hung his head. "And please Barry, please don't change anything…" Barry was about to speak but Iris cut him off. "Just, do this for me Barry, I don't want to be the cause of this torture you've subjected yourself to." Barry found himself chocking on his words. Unable to say anything he just let his tears flow. "So…please do this for me Barry."

"OK Iris…"

With a sad smile Iris kissed Barry on the lips. "I love you Barry."

"I love you to Iris." Barry replied against her lips before heading out to redo the day one last time, the way it initially happened.

* * *

**July 11 2021**

Traveling back in time once more Barry found himself repeating the day as he did initially. With a heavy heart Barry entered his house and just like the way it was with his mother he hid and watched the events unfold no matter how painful it was.

The sound of electricity crackling and the sudden rush of air told Barry it was time, and so he forced himself to watch and listen as his mortal enemy murdered his wife.

"**_Hello Iris_**." There was another rushing noise. "**_Did you think you could contact your husband before I could reach you_**?"

"What the hell are you doing here?" Barry heard Iris demand.

"**_I'm just here to get your answer_**_."_Barry had no idea what the Reverse Flash was talking about. "**_Are you going to leave your husband and come with me_**?" The Reverse-Flash wanted Iris? Was this not Eobard Thawne? He had never shown interest in Iris' affection before now. "**_Or am I going to have to kill you_**?" Barry felt his heart beat much faster than normal as tears welled up in his eyes. "**_Did you think that would work_**?"

"I'll never leave Barry!" she declared "I love him too much! And even if I did not I would never choose a monster like you!"

"**_I am truly sorry, This could have all been avoided if you chose me._**" Barry tore his gaze away and helplessly listened as his wife was murdered once more. "**_I never liked killing those I love_**."

Once it was done Barry was about to burst from his hiding spot he saw something he didn't expect, The Reverse-Flash was kneeling while cradling Iris' dead body.

"I hope you forgive me Iris." The man in yellow whispered into her motionless body. "because I know I'll never forgive myself for this."

Barry couldn't help but watch as the man in yellow closed Iris' eyes and laid her gently on the floor before readjusting her body to a more peaceful position. Barry continued to watch as The man in the yellow suit slit his own wrist and write six words on the wall and as soon as he was done he was gone in a flurry of crimson electricity leaving Barry alone with Iris' body one last time.

Barry cautiously approached Iris' body and knelt down next to her. He brushed away her hair to get one look at her peaceful face.

"I love you Iris…and…I promise I'll never try to change anything again." he said as he leaned down and kissed her one last time before heading back to when he came.

* * *

**July 17 2021**

Barry tore through the wormhole he created and skidded to a halt mere seconds after he had initially left. With nothing left Barry just slid to the floor of the Particle Accelerator and began to cry.

"Barry?" After crying for what felt like hours Barry looked up to see Joe, Caitlin, Wally, Dawn and Don looking at him absolutely radiating concern.

"I failed..." Barry said softly before the dam behind his eyes broke.

* * *

**Present**

Barry came out of his memories and turned his attention back to all the information Gideon was providing him. Sure he had promised Iris he wouldn't meddle with time, but things changed after everyone died or (in Caitlin's case) was dying.

"Gideon, who was next to attack Central City after the Tricksters?"

-**Brie Larvan, A.K.A Bug-Eyed Bandit- **The holographic head replied. –**Her first attack was on April 14 2015-**

"That's fairly soon." Barry said to himself. "And if I remember correctly Felicity and Ray came and helped us take her down."

-**Indeed-**

"Start running a scan for this frequency so that when she shows up we can stop her before she kills anyone, also start running diagnostics of Ray's A.T.O.M. suit, I want to give his a little boost before he joins Rip Hunter."

-**Of course Barry Allen- **

"Also, how much damage have I inflicted on the Space Time Continuum?"

-**By my calculations this last trip along with all the trips you and the Reverse-Flash have made along with your younger selves The Speed Force has worn the Continuum Dangerously thin. If It tears The resulting shockwave will destroy at minimun Central City-**

"Dare I ask at max?"

-**The Entire Multiverse-**

"I was afraid you were going to say that. So as long as neither I nor the Reverse-Flash Time travel the Time Continuum will remain intact until we find a way to repair it?"

-**Precisely-**

"Alright Gideon start running diagnostics on how to repair any and all damage to the Time Continuum."

-**Of course Mr. Allen-**

* * *

Meanwhile Eobard Thawne entered into the pipeline and with a few strikes of the keypad a meta-human cell was brought before him, inside was Mark Mardon, better known as Weather Wizard.

Mardon sat against his wall throwing a ball against the other side of his cell to pass the time. He honestly wished he was locked up in Iron Heights Prison since at least there he would have some form of Cable TV. Here he got three meals a day and a ball to pass the time. The movement of his cell caught his attention and when he looked up sitting in front of his cell was Harrison Wells, the man responsible for giving him his powers.

"Come to check on one of your pets?"

"If I wanted to do that I could do it from the comfort of my office, actually Mr. Mardon I have a proposition for you, one that helps us both."

"Yeah and what is that?"

"Let's just say I'll be calling in a favor. Do that for me and I'll personally make sure you go free."

"And how do you know I won't kill you and your pet speedster when I get out of here?"

"Oh I'm counting on you going after the Flash but I need you to first create the storm I need."

"Fine I'll do it."

"Good, now have Patience Mr. Mardon. Once I finish with what I need we'll need to act quickly."

"Why not release me now?"

"If I did that I would have no guarantee that you'd stick around to help me." Wells explained. "So do we have a deal Mr. Mardon?"

"I guess so old man."

Wells smiled sinisterly "Good."

Unbeknownst to Wells the Barry Allen from this era was watching the whole conversation, his eyes widening in shock at the revelation of his mentor making deals with the bad meta-humans.

"What the frack?"

* * *

This is the end of the chapter

Please tell me what you liked, didn't like, look forward to/think will happen, or your general thoughts and comments, this'll help me make this story better; I'm a big boy so I can take criticism. And if you Review you get a Shout Out and questions answered either privately or in the next chapter.

Have a Fantastic day.

**MORE REVIEW = FASTER UPDATES**


	10. Squash that Bug-Eyed Bandit

**Disclaimer: **The following is a nonprofit Fan based story; The FLASH and all related characters are owned by DC comics, the CW and anyone I may have missed.

Once again I thank all you guys who reviewed the last chapter; **changingdestiny40, Mr Panda, AReiss215, Mason Marek,**** Flash** and **jinx777**

**Mr Panda: **Yeah last chapter was rather dark and maybe I did take Iris' multiple deaths too far but it was mostly to show how far Barry was willing to go to try and save her, why he refused to time travel after that and to show that Time does not like being tampered with. As for Snowbarry you'll see some more moments here.

**Flash: **Calm down I've updated it's right here.

Here's Chapter 10 which slightly follows episode 18. Things are going to be heating up very soon so hold on to your butts as everything happens at once.

* * *

_The Flash: Rewriting History_

Chapter 10: Squash that Bug-eyed Bandit

* * *

"Cisco look I know you believe Dr. Wells and Joe but as I scientist I need some proof." Caitlin said as She and Cisco walked into the cortex.

"Proof?" Caitlin and Cisco turned around to see Barry walking into the lab, readjusting his blazer as he did. "Proof of what?"

"That there's a new Meta-human on the loose." Cisco quickly answered.

"Really?" Barry was genuinely surprised. He didn't remember a meta-human appearing between The Trickster and Bug-Eyed Bandit.

"That's why I'm saying I need proof." Caitlin added, Barry noticed her shift slightly. "Cisco wants us to dive right after this Meta-Human when we know absolutely nothing about them."

"OK, well I can check police records and see if there are any open cases that are bizarre." Barry offered his friends.

"Awesome." Cisco said as he took a sip of his jumbo slushy.

"Dude, it's like nine in the morning and you're drinking a Slushy?" Barry asked fairly rhetorically.

"Don't judge. You eat more junk food in an hour than people usually eat in a week." Cisco fired back.

Barry smirked to himself after hearing Cisco's comment. He really missed these days with, as he like to call it, Original Team Flash. He got that name from Felicity and her way of calling her, Diggle and Oliver the Original Team Arrow.

Barry glanced over at Caitlin and noticed that she was biting her lip, a sure sign something was bothering her. "Hey Caitlin, are you OK?" Caitlin turned to look at Barry. "You're doing that thing where you're biting your lip." Internally Cisco was freaking out, it appeared that keeping their investigation of 'Other-Barry' a secret from other Barry was going to be tough if he could notice they was something up.

"Uh, oh I'm Fine Barry, I just" She grabbed her tablet and went through some of her notes trying to hide both her emotions and herself if that were possible. "I noticed that it's about time for a physical. You know, just to make sure there's nothing wrong."

"You wanted me to come back to the lab for a physical? Geeze Dr. Snow if you wanted to get me naked you only had to ask." There he went with his flirting and the odd thing was Caitlin was a little more vigilant at noticing it as was Cisco.

"Well, I'm going to get out of here before you two do anything, you know, unprofessional, so yeah…" Cisco awkwardly backed out of the room leaving Barry and Caitlin alone. "I'll see you guys later."

There was a huff in her voice, a sound Barry knew all too well as it was the sound she made when he said something that annoyed and excited her. She looked like she wanted to say something, but no words were coming out of her mouth.

"So that was awkward." Barry said trying to mitigate the obvious sexual tension he 'deliberately set up.

"I have no response to that Mr. Allen. Now take off your shirt."

"Yeah sure no problem" Barry removed his blazer and pulled off his sweater and undershirt.

Caitlin did her best to try and stay in full on doctor mode as she rubbed a swab on his arm to draw some blood. She was going to get some answers of her own regarding Barry's behavior the best way she knew how, through him.

"So, how did things go with Iris this morning?" Caitlin asked as she lightly stabbed his shoulder with a syringe to draw some blood. She hardly noticed him flinching; it was either from the question or her drawing his blood or as a real out there answer it was from her touch, though as a doctor she was being very professional.

Barry hung his head as he thought back to that morning. "I told Iris." That caught Caitlin's attention.

"You told her what?"

"Everything Caitlin" Two words and Caitlin knew exactly what Barry had told Iris. "What I mean is; I told her I was the Flash."

"Oh…how did she take it?" Caitlin removed the syringe with Barry's blood and turned around with a stethoscope. She placed it on his chiseled chest the cool metal sending a shiver down his body. "Breathe in"

He took in a large breath of air. "Not as well as I hoped." Barry said while exhaling. "It's like…after I told her she went through every emotion before settling on an eerie form of sadness."

"Eerie how?" Caitlin readjusted the stethoscope to his back. Unbeknownst to her the touch of the metal reminded Barry off his version of Caitlin, the one she would become.

"It feels like Iris could blow up at me and Joe at any given moment." Barry sighed heavily. "I thought that telling her the truth about me being the Flash and how I feel about her…I thought she would run into my arms."

Caitlin grabbed a cuff her desk and wrapped it around his arm and began to inflate it. "Don't worry Barry, Iris just needs to process what she just learned. I'm sure she'll come around though I can't promise things will go back to the way before."

"But they will be better." They spoke those five words at the exact same time and Barry and Caitlin locked eyes for a moment as another awkward silence drifted over them.

"That's what you told me back in January right?"

"Yeah, I did say that didn't I?" Caitlin said breaking the eye contact and getting back into doctor mode. She would be lying if she said Barry telling Iris he was the Flash made her feel uncomfortable. She felt like with Iris in the loop now things won't be the same, like Barry will once more turn his full attention to Iris, and to be honest it made her feel jealous that Barry now had the option to confine in Iris with everything as there were no secrets between them, though the ball was in Iris' court to decide how they were to proceed with their relationship.

"Hello? Earth to Caitlin!" Barry's voice brought her back to reality. Catlin looked at Barry with a blank expression before he gestured to the cuff on his arm. "It's a little tight."

"Oh, sorry Barry." The bio-engineer quickly looked at the dial "Blood pressure is 160 over 90, which is normal for you."

"I guess that's good." Barry said as she removed the cuff. "anything else you need?"

"Not really, I just thought I'd bring something up I noticed the last time you were out." Caitlin headed over to her computer and Barry followed closely behind her while putting his shirts back on. "Here's your data from a few weeks ago." She opened a file that displayed everything they knew about his powers.

"Ok, what are we looking for?"

"This," Caitlin opened another file. "These are the readings from the other day. Your average speed is nearly double what it normally is, you're constantly pushing 2000 miles per hour and yet your energy levels are depleting."

That was unsettling for Barry. Sure he was faster, he was older and more experienced so he knew the limitations he had but according to the data his connection to the Speed Force was slowly deteriorating.

"How much?"

"About five percent" Caitlin showed Barry exactly what she was talking about.

Barry had no clue where this was coming from. He was losing his connection to the Speed Force. This could be caused by any number of things; all the time travel, Thawne could be siphoning his speed, or the Speed Force was naturally leaving him because the time line he originated from was being rewritten, effectively erasing this version of him from existence. Perhaps he would never get to enjoy the fruits of his labor.

"Is there any way to reverse it?" Caitlin listened as she heard a slight quiver in his voice.

"I don't know Barry. I'd have to run some more tests. But I will let you know as soon as I learn more."

"OK," Barry nodded sadly before feeling his phone go off in his pocket. "Hey Joe."

"_Hey Barry, I hope you aren't doing anything Barry cause we need you down here. Got one of those strange murders that usually leads to a Meta-Human."_ Barry knew what that meant, the Bug-eyed Bandit Brie Larvan was in town and she was active.

"I'll be right there Joe." Barry said before hanging up. "That was Joe. I've got to go, Could be our Meta-Human." He said with a wink before flashing out leaving Caitlin alone in the med bay.

* * *

Arriving at the new Crime scene Barry inspected the victim's body. She was covered in bee stings.

"What've we got Bar?" Joe asked as he cautiously approached his son.

"Bee stings" Barry replied. "The victim was punctured by enough bees to trigger a severe case of anaphylaxes."

"Damn…" Whoever this was Joe couldn't help but be impressed at how quickly he determined the cause of death.

"Well, I can't be certain until I have Caitlin run the blood to confirm my theory."

"All right Barry." Joe took a deep breath and decided to ask his 'son' something that had been bothering him for a while now. "Hey have you spoken to Iris recently? She seems mad, and when I say mad I mean like eerily calm."

The sound of Iris' name caught Barry off guard. They hadn't talked, not since Barry told her that he was the Flash. And now it sounded like she wasn't talking to Joe either. "Uh, actually I haven't talked to her in a while Joe. We sort of had a big fight, or a falling out of sorts."

"Really?" Joe was positive he would have heard about a fight between Iris and Barry if not from either of them then from at least Eddie. For Joe those two were a match made in heaven there was no way they could have a falling out of any kind. "What were you two fighting about?" Barry looked around before pulling Joe to the side out of ear shot of the other cops.

"I told Iris Joe."

Joe knew what Barry was talking about and he was assaulted by a flurry of emotions, shock, anger, disappointment, concern, and anger."You told her? How could you do that Barry? We agreed it was best not to tell her! Now she will be in danger!" Barry did not like Joe's tone at all but to be fair he might deserve it.

"You think I don't know that Joe?" Barry fired back not quite able to hold his anger back. "I've been lying to Iris for years and yet whenever I want to make a decision concerning the woman I love I always go through you and it always ends up hurting her even more!"

"She's my daughter!" Joe argued back. "I know what's best for her!"

"No you don't Joe!" Barry was very angry, in his rage he grabbed his bag and ran to STAR Labs, he needed to blow off some steam, and get the blood analyzed.

* * *

"You were right Barry, it was death by apitoxin." Caitlin said as she finished running the sample and reentered into the cortex.

"Great, this is my worst nightmare come true…" Cisco grumbled, both Barry and Caitlin chuckled slightly at Cisco's plight they knew he wasn't a fan of bees, mostly from the night they watched _Wickerman_, even if that was a deleted scene. "A meta-human who can control bees…"

"I wouldn't go that far Cisco." Barry hit a few keys on a keyboard and brought up some information about the bees in question. "Ms. Kang had enough venom to kill a herd of elephants and yet a honey bee can only deliver about 0.1 milligrams of apitoxin from its stinger, hardly enough to kill her."

"Perhaps this meta-human can alter the toxicity of the venom." Dr. Wells added his two cents as he wheeled next to Barry, resulting in a silent glare from the speedster that lasted less than one tenth of a second.

"No, I don't think that's possible." Barry replied "And I know that's coming from the guy who can run at mach speeds."

"There were no stingers in the victim which is completely unnatural for a Honey Bee." Caitlin added while looking over the file Barry brought them. "I agree with Barry about these not being natural bees, controlled or otherwise."

"Either way, anyone care to join me in engineering a high tech beekeepers suit and gizmos to kill the little diablos?"

"Well if you're planning to run away from a bunch of bees I recommend not going under water. The Bees will wait for you to surface." Everyone turned to see Felicity standing in the doorway of the cortex.

"Felicity, what brings you back to Central City?" Caitlin asked as she embraced her friend happily.

"Oh, um, not much, just uh, could you guys join me outside for a moment?" The blond IT replied.

While Felicity led everyone outside Barry couldn't help but let his mind drift to the life Felicity led in the Future.

* * *

**April 13 2024**

"Hey Felicity" Barry said as he walked into the office of the Palmer Tech. CEO. The Blond CEo looked up from her desk to see her one time crush and now current best friend. Maneuvering her chair out from behind her desk Barry knelt down to hug his friend.

"Hey Barry, how're you and Caitlin holding up with you know…" Felicity knew the subject about Caitlin's condition was a touchy one.

"She's getting worse every day…" Barry sullenly replied looking down at Felicity's ring less finger. It had been ring less since early 2016 since she and Oliver called off their engagement and ended their romantic relationship, that was eight years ago. "How're things with you?"

"Oh, they're fine. I'm just a single lady running a multibillion dollar company." The paraplegic replied. "Oh and did I mention I've gotten really good with this chair?" She proved her point by spinning around and doing a wheelie. Barry cracked a smile; it was nice to see that Felicity still retained a portion of her perkiness despite everything that happened to her. "So, what brings you to me tower?"

"Like I said, Caitlin is fading. She acts like nothing's wrong but I can see how her powers are slowly killing her Felicity. Two months ago everything was normal but now she can't leave our bed without starting to freeze, and I'm afraid it's only a matter of time until there's nothing we can do."

"And obviously you're worried about the baby as well aren't you?" Felicity asked.

"Yeah, we almost had a scare when Caitlin's body attacked it when she first began to deteriorate. And now we try to hide it but…I'm afraid we will lose the baby if she gets worse."

Felicity sighed heavily. "Barry, you and Caitlin are two of the strongest people I know, you've been through so much crap and yet you still found happiness with each other. You will find a way to save her Barry."

"There's only one way I can think of Felicity but to save Caitlin I may have to destroy the world as we know it."

* * *

**Present Time**

Standing outside Team Flash watched the skies as Ray Palmer came barreling in landing and cracking the ground with his high tech suit.

"Hi! I'm Ray!" He waved happily at them.

Back inside the lab Ray and Caitlin walked out of her lab "Well my ears finally popped so that's a good thing."

"You're lucky you didn't break your neck." Caitlin replied as she walked past him and over to Felicity's side, right between the blond and Barry. "Why is it that billionaires like to become superheroes?" She wasn't really expecting an answer but Barry surprised her.

"I think they use the superpower of money to feel like they're actually changing something."

"It was a rhetorical question Barry." Barry smirked as he looked over to Cisco and Ray animatedly talking about a name for Ray.

"The A.T.O.M. suit, quite the technological marvel you created Mr. Palmer." Dr. Wells said to the billionaire. "I can honestly say I'm impressed."

"And he's never impressed." Caitlin added.

"Thanks, but I can't quite keep it up." He responded to Dr. Wells, earning quizzical looks from everyone after hearing the innuendo. "I mean the suit!" he corrected.

"Yeah he means the suit!" Felicity added on maneuvering her way to Ray's side. "Everything down there works just fine I can attest to that. Nothing needs to be fixed!"

"Yeah the sex is great." Ray was no longer filtering his words in a similar manner to Felicity.

"Oh, god there's-"

"Two of them" Barry finished Caitlin's sentence before flashing a small smile in her direction.

Ray turned to Cisco and asked him to help tinker with his suit to which both Cisco and Dr. Wells were OK with it.

"But what about the case Barry brought us?" Caitlin asked

"Don't worry about it." Barry told her. "I'll keep my eyes and ears open

"Yeah and in the meantime Caitlin and I will make a Jitters run." Felicity pipped in.

"Sure" Caitlin nodded.

* * *

At CC Jitters Felicity and Caitlin walked away from the counter after getting their order of Java, Coffee, and Lattes for themselves and the four boys back at the lab.

"So, how're things here in Central City?" Felicity asked.

"Uh, they're fine, why do you ask?"

"It's just that I couldn't help but notice something going on between all of you guys and Barry." Felicity took a sip of her java. "It's like Central City and Starling City switched places."

"Sorry, its just…now's a very strange time for us." Caitlin responded as they sat down at an open table. "First Dr. Wells was attacked and almost killed, and then Barry started to act very strangely, he thinks we don't see it but we do. It's almost like he's-"

"Flirting with you?" Felicity finished earning a slightly stunned look from Caitlin. "Oh, come on Caitlin I could see it the moment I walked in the room. Barry is acting like he's completely smitten with you."

"That's impossible Felicity." Caitlin argued. "Barry's not in love with me, he still is in love with Iris."

"Doesn't look that way to me." Felicity took another sip with a knowing smirk. "When I first came her I could see how infatuated with Iris Barry was, but now he's giving the same looks to you."

"Even If he were interested in me, which he isn't, it would never work between us." Caitlin argued.

"Give me three good reasons why it would never work." The blond IT challenged, needless to say Caitlin was stumped as to what to say next.

"Uh, both of us are in love with other people. If it doesn't work out it will ruin our relationship. And…uh…" Caitlin struggled to find a third reason why any possible relationship with Barry would not work.

"Hey Caitlin. Felicity? What brings you to Central City?" Caitlin and Felicity turned to see Iris entering Jitters and walking towards them beaming her usual smile, though both Caitlin and Felicity felt something a little off about her smile like it wasn't genuine.

"Iris hey!" Felicity jumped up an embraced the other woman. "Oh, nothing much brought us here. My boyfriend just needs some help with this new gizmo he's invented."

"Well, I'm sure the minds at STAR Labs can help him out. Who's your boyfriend?"

"Ray Palmer." Iris' eyes widened.

"Oh my god!" She was clearly excited for Felicity. "You're dating Ray Palmer? As in Ray Palmer, founder and CEO of Palmer Technologies? As in, one of the richest men in the world alongside Bruce Wayne, Lex Luthor and formerly Oliver Queen?"

"Yes, that very same Ray Palmer."

"Wow, I am actually a little jealous of you right now." Iris replied honestly. "Sure Ray Palmer isn't as hot as Oliver Queen but he's still quite the catch Felicity."

"Thanks Iris."

"Hey, uh Caitlin, could I talk to you in private?" She looked uncomfortable as she shifted her gaze towards Felicity. "It's about Barry's Lightning Psychosis."

Caitlin looked confused for a moment before realization hit her. "You know don't you?"

"Barry told me a week ago, so can we talk I more-"

"Felicity already knows." Caitlin words were rather dull and there was a hit of apprehension for Iris' answer.

"So everyone but Eddie knows Barry's secret." Iris stated the fact so vague Caitlin was unsure if it was even supposed to be a question and it was probably safest not to answer. "How are all of you able to lie to us?" That time it wasn't quite a rhetoric question.

Felicity jumped in saving Caitlin from answering. "Well, don't think of it as lying. Think of it as protecting everyone with a fib."

"Geeze…" Iris huffed. "I don't know how you guys managed to do this for so long. Not telling Eddie is killing me and he can tell something is bothering me."

"Well, crazy idea here, why don't we all go out for dinner?" Felicity offered.

"What like a double date?" Iris asked

"More like a triple date, you, me, Eddie, Ray, Barry and Caitlin." She turned to Caitlin who started to choke on her coffee. "A little wine and dine can fix just about everything."

"That sounds great…" Iris said with a hesitant tone. To completely honest she was still fairly mad at Barry for, well pretty much everything but she couldn't be mad at Caitlin, Cisco Dr. Wells or even Felicity.

"Well, I guess I can't back out of this one." Caitlin's heart was beating at what felt like twice as fast as normal.

* * *

Meanwhile back at STAR Labs while Cisco and Ray were tinkering with the A.T.O.M. suit Barry headed down into the Particle Accelerator to meet with his younger counterpart.

Barry looked up as he sat in his cell to see his imposter counterpart standing in front of him. He glared at his older self before standing up and slamming his fist against the glass that separated them. Sure the Future Flash couldn't see nor hear Barry at the time but that didn't mean he didn't know he was there. The older Flash pushed a button on his wrist and suddenly Barry came back into full focus and sound.

"I know you're angry with me Barry." The Blue Flash said

"Oh you think?" Barry fired back.

"I would be just as angry as you if I was in your situation."

"Then let me out and see just how angry I am!"

"I cannot do that. If I were to let you out now then you would unravel everything I am trying to accomplish."

"What are you trying to accomplish? You haven't exactly been forthcoming with your plan."

"I told you before that I am trying to save the life of the people I love."

"And you're doing a fantastic job from the sound of it." Despite all his friends and family not knowing where he was Barry was completely cut off from the outside world. His older counterpart was giving him three meals a day, clearly to keep his energy levels low,

Future Barry dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone. He put it into the slot in the cell giving it to younger Barry. "Don't bother trying to call for help, I can remove that phone from your grip before you finish dialing.

"What is this?" Barry asked as he picked up the phone.

"Just listen to the voice mail on it."

Barry selected the phone icon and skipped over to voice mail, there was only one and it was from Caitlin, dated September 24 2016 and it was almost thirty minutes long.

"This…This is from"

"Just listen to it. It should explain why I am doing these things."

Barry selected the message and it began to play.

"…_**ha**__…__**huff**__…__**ha**__…__**huff**__…__**ha**__…__**huff**__…Come one B-B-Barry…" _Caitlin's voice sounded tired and weak, plus she was breathing extremely heavily. "…_Please…please pick up…__**huff**__…"_ Barry turned to the Future Flash and saw a tear forming in his eye. "_…I-I know you're on a d-d-date with I-I-Iris t-t-tonight Barry…__**ha**__…__**huff**__…b-b-but could you p-p-please answer…?" _Caitlin sounded like she was choking on tears, her voice was barely above a whisper but Barry could clearly hear her distress. _"…__**ha**__…__**huff**__…Barry…I'm frightened…these men…__**ha**__…__**huff**__…they work for Damian D-D-Darkh…They attacked us at…__**ha**__…__**huff**__…Mercury Labs…I…I"_ Her voice faded out for a second and the sound of her moving was heard before she came back. "_…__**ha**__…__**huff**__…They've killed so many people…__**ha**__…__**huff**__…I'm scared B-B-Barry…__**ha**__…__**huff**__… I locked myself in sub-b-zero unit DJ-FFNM-119…__**ha**__…__**huff**__…Please Barry…__**ha**__…__**huff**__…please…save…" _Her voice faded out from the message but it still continued. Barry looked at his older counterpart for some kind of cue but Caitlin's voice came back more full of energy and panicked than before. "_Please!" _There was a sound that sounded like her banging on glass_ "Please don't! Don't!" _There was a hissing noise followed by a scream.

"CAITLIN!" Barry yelled into the phone completely forgetting that it was a voice mail.

"There's more…"

After what felt like hours of silence and the sound of Caitlin's breath growing shorter and weaker she finally began to speak once more. "_…__**ha**__…__**huff**__…Barry…I…I don't know if…if I'll make it out of here…They turned to unit on and…and…__**sob**__…"_ She was freely crying in the message now._ "I know this is probably the worst timing but…Barry, I want to say something I should have said a long time ago…__**ha**__…__**huff**__… I…I…_" And the line went silent once more only this time nothing came back through.

"What was that? What was she going to say?" Barry demanded as he turned to his older counterpart.

"Does it really need to be said?" He asked. Barry turned back to the phone silently looking at it as the silence continued.

"Did…did she die?" Barry finally asked.

"In a manner of speaking, yes, Dr. Snow died that day." The Older Barry replied as he walked closer to the glass separating present and future. "It took three years but we were able to save her, though she was never the same." He looked into Barry's eyes and smiled. "Ah, there it is."

"There's what?" Barry was really starting to lose his patience.

"There's the spark I need in you."

"What spark? Just what the hell are you talking about?"

"You're eyes are now the same as mine, after I heard that message." He looked down at the slot used to pass the phone. "Now, give it back to me." Young Barry looked down at the phone then back up at his older self and with reluctance he placed it in the slot. A moment later it was back in the hands of the Blue Flash who stuffed it into his coat pocket.

"So now what?"

"Now? Nothing's changed." He pushed a button and Barry was cut off from all visual to his younger self.

"HEY! WAIT!" Young Barry slammed his fists angrily against the glass as he was hidden and all sounds were cut off.

* * *

"Looks like our beekeeper, and no we aren't calling them that, is making a move at Folston Tech." Cisco said as soon as Barry entered the room. Barry quickly looked around to see that neither Caitlin not Felicity were back yet, it was only him, Cisco, Ray and Dr. Wells in the main Cortex.

"I'm on it!" Barry flashed over grabbed his suit then Flashed out of the Lab.

Barry ran to Folston Tech in under a minute. When he got there police were already on scene, among them was Joe and Eddie. Not wanting to talk to Joe, Barry blitzed past them and into the building finding the corpse covered in bee stings.

"I found the victim. He's dead."

_"Well this meta-human should be around there somewhere."_ Cisco's voice came through. _"I'm picking up movement in the Northwest corner of the third floor. Chances are that's out guy!"_

Barry raced over there to find himself standing opposite of Brie Larvan, the Bug-eyed Bandit as Cisco and Ray nicknamed her.

"Brie Larvan!" Barry called out in his superhero voice.

"Apparently you know me, but I do not know you." She replied. Barry could see her fiddling with one of her mechanical bees and the remote for the swarm he know was hiding in the ventilation system.

"Doesn't matter. I'm taking you in for the murders of Lindsay Kang and Bill Carlisle!"

"Try taking me in!" Larvan challenged as a large swarm of mechanical bees burst forth from all the vents around them and moved in to attack Barry.

"Too easy." Barry said simply as he began to swing his arms in circles creating a small cyclone of wind to keep the bees at bay. The gust was so intense that Larvan found herself being pushed back, closer and closer to the window behind her.

"Freeze! CCPD!" Barry stopped his cyclone and looked over his shoulder to see Joe pointing his gun at Brie Larvan's head.

The Bug-eyed Bandit caught a glimpse of the Flash glancing at Detective West and with a gesture of her arm the swarm moved in and attacked Joe.

"JOE!" Barry yelled as he grabbed his foster Father and flashed him out of the building. This didn't happen in the original time line.

"Guys! Help! Joe's been stung!" Barry called into his comm.

"get him back to the Lab dude! We can't tell what's wrong with him from here!" Cisco called out.

"Alright! Call Caitlin and Felicity! Tell them to get back to STAR Labs!"

"We're already here Barry!" Caitlin's voice said through the comm. "I've already got the med bay set up!"

Barry was there in less than one second and laid Joe down on the bed. "He's got no pulse!"

"He's in Cardiac arrest!" Caitlin began to work like a madman as she grabbed a nearby defibrillator. "Charging to 360 joules!" She prepped the machine and placed each paddle where it was supposed to be.

"Charging in 3…2…1…" Cisco counted down as the device powered up.

"Clear!" Caitlin shocked Joe's heart and everyone waited with baited breath for a heartbeat that didn't return. "Charging to 400 joules!" Her voice was cracking a bit as Cisco amped up the voltage.

"Charging in 3…2…1…" This time Barry counted down.

"Clear!" Once again the defibrillator failed to restart Joe's heart.

"Do it again!" Barry yelled at Caitlin while tears were forming in his eyes.

"I can't! If we go any higher we run the risk of frying Joe's heart rather than fixing it!" She argued back

Slightly aggravated and desperate Barry pushed Caitlin out of the way as he stood over Joe. "I'll do it myself!" he clapped his hands together and began to rub them incredibly fast, generating electricity around his hands. Using his own hands as defibrillators Barry shocked Joe's heart twice.

-**beep-** The heart monitor picked up Joe's heartbeat and everyone exhaled a breath they didn't even know they were holding.

"Joe?" Barry questioned with a quivering tone.

"Barry…" Joe opened his eyes to catch a glimpse of his son. Any doubts he had about this beign Barry had been washed away as no one could fake the level of concern or sacrifice he was willing to endure for Joe.

"Thank god…" Barry slumped back into a chair next to the bed. "Thank god you're safe."

"What happened to that woman?" Joe asked jumping immediately into cop mode.

"For now she got away." Barry said before standing up. "But I'm going after her. She won't get away with what she did to you."

"Bar…" But Barry ignored Joe's words as he flashed out of the medical bay grabbing his suit and heading out to hunt for the Bug-eyes Bandit.

* * *

"_Barry? Where are you going?"_ Cisco's voice said over Barry's com link.

"I'm looking for the Bug-eyed bandit!" Barry called back.

"_Bug-eyed Bandit? You nicknamed the Meta?"_

"Uh…Yeah and she's not a meta and those Bees she controls, they're machines." Barry responded

"_When you get back we'll talk about who gets to name the bad guys. But for now how do you know they're machines?"_

"I left one of them in a vial on your desk before I left Cisco." Barry replied. "And call Eddie, tell him there's going to be a special delivery for him shortly."

"_Uh…Ok…but wait! How do you know where you're going?"_

This time Barry had to lie. "Well, unless Felicity back traces the signal I'm gonna have to check every nook and cranny until I find her."

"_I'm on it! Ow! Damn why do I always do that!"_ Barry smiled to himself when he heard Felicity crack her knuckles. Not even thirty seconds later her voice came on again. "_Got it! She's in an old warehouse in the older section of the city."_

"I'm on my way!" Barry replied and in an instant he was there and then he was at the precinct with Brie Larvan cuffed to a Eddie's chair with a sign that read;

-**To Detective Thawne, The Flash-**

* * *

And no sooner had he dropped the Bug-eyed bandit off at the station than he was back at S.T.A.R. Labs. Barry made his way back into the Cortex and hung his suit up on the mannequin just in time to see Caitlin, Iris, Felicity and Ray waiting for him.

Seeing Iris there was quite unsettling to some degree as they hadn't really spoken since he told her the truth and from the looks of things she was still kind of upset with him.

"Uh, what's going on?" He asked. Searching his own memories he didn't remember any event like this.

"Well, Felicity invited us to join her, Ray, Iris and Eddie to go out to dinner tonight." Caitlin said nervously rubbing her hands together. There was a feint trace of her biting her lip which Barry noticed.

"Oh, uh…" Barry rubbed the back of his head nervously since he was woefully unprepared for this kind of event especially if Iris was still angry with him. "Ok, when is it?"

"I got us reservations at seven at one of the best restaurants in Central City, one of the perks of being well known." Ray said animatedly in a way that heavily reminded Barry of Felicity. He knew why Ray and Felicity broke up but a part of him had hoped things would work out between them, heck after breaking up with Oliver she and Ray thought about renewing their relationship but unfortunately Ray was forcefully abducted from Team Legends and he was never heard from again.

* * *

**February 24 2022**

Team Legends along with The Flash, Killer Frost, Green Arrow, Spartan, Speedy, and the Black Canary of that year were battling it out with Vandal Savage in Coast City. Rip hunter Came to the year 2022 to grab Barry, Caitlin, Oliver, Diggle, Thea, and Laurel to help them deal with Vandal Savage at a point in time when he was too dangerous for Team Legends alone.

The battle was fierce and long before our heroes came out on top with Savage defeated, though Kendra was unable to kill him as he broke a poisonous pill before she could kill him.

It was during their after party that things got bad for Ray.

"I would like to propose a toast." Ray said as he raised his glass and everyone followed suit. Felicity sat next to him in her chair with their fingers intertwined. "To great friends." he gestured to everyone in the room. "To those we care about." Everyone turned and looked at someone they loved, in Barry's case he turned to Caitlin and she turned to him. Out of the corner of his eye Barry could see Oliver eying Felicity who refused to look his way, instead she kept her gaze on Ray. "And to a bright future we make for ourselves."

"CHEERS!" Everyone called out before they could take sips from their glasses there was a crashing noise as a small bluish object came hurling through the window.

-**Scanning for Compassion-** it said as it circled around each individual until it reached Ray. -**Raymond Palmer of Earth, You have the Ability to Feel Great Compassion-** Everyone watched as the indigo ring flew onto Ray's finger and enveloped him in a flash of light of the same color. –**Welcome to the Indigo Tribe-**

When the Light Cleared Ray Palmer stood there not in his A.T.O.M. Suit, rather it was a version of said suit that resembled clothes that Native Americans would have worn. His exposed skin was decorated with indigo markings and in his right hand he held a wooden staff whose top glow the color indigo.

"Ray?" Felicity asked tearfully.

"Nok" Was all Ray said to everyone before vanishing in a flash of indigo light leaving behind a stunned Flash, Team Legends and a heartbroken Felicity.

* * *

**Present Time**

"You OK Barry?" Ray asked the speedster.

"Huh? Oh yeah I'm fine." Barry shook his head as he was snapped out of his thoughts. "What were we discussing?"

"Can you guys make it tonight?" Ray reinquired. "I can put the reservation in but it would be easiest if I knew how many of us were going.

"I guess we can go." Barry sent Caitlin a look she recognized as empathy. He could see that she felt extremely awkward about this triple date especially since Felicity was seemingly forcing her and Barry together and in front of Iris no less.

"Unless you guys are too busy with Flash related things." Iris added as she subconsciously folded her arms across her chest.

"I don't think anything will get in the way." Barry turned from Caitlin back to Iris. "We'll see you guys at seven then."

"Alright we'll see you guys there." Felicity said before taking Ray's arm and hauling him off out of the cortex and back to their hotel.

"I guess I'll go get ready then." Both Barry and Iris could hear the uncertainty in her voice. "I'll just meet you guys there."

"I can give you a lift Cait." Barry said placing a hand on her shoulder which made her jump.

"Uh, there's no need for that. I can drive myself. Besides, it looks like you two need to talk before tonight." Dr. Snow began to ramble while backing off to her lab to grab her purse and coat and soon she was getting out of there like a bat out of hell leaving Iris and Barry alone in the lab.

"Iris, look I-"

"You don't need to say anything Barry. I get why you hid this from me but we're best friends. We shouldn't keep things like this from each other." Iris took a few steps to close the gap between her and Barry. "I can't say I'm not mad at you Barry, to me it feels like I don't know you anymore, actually it feels like I never knew you at all."

Barry reached out and took Iris' hands in his own. "Iris...if you're going to be mad with anyone please just be mad with me. I-"

"I already talked with my dad Barry." Iris looked over to the medical bay where Joe was resting. "He's fine, Caitlin called me almost as soon as my dad was out of the red. He might not have said it, but he is still mad at you for 'getting me involved' in this life of yours."

"I haven't really talked to him since I ran out to catch the one responsible, and before that we had an argument about me telling you."

Iris sighed and gave Barry a reassuring smile. "I guess I should go let Eddie know about the triple date tonight."

"Yeah, I guess so to." Iris gave Barry a hug before turning to leave but she stopped in the door frame turning back to the speedster.

"And Barry"

"Yeah?"

"You should really sort out your feeling between Caitlin and me. It isn't fair for you to lead her on like I've done with you. Don't make the same mistake I did." She gave Barry a sad smile. She could tell that he loved Caitlin more than her, and she was surprisingly OK with the idea of Barry and Caitlin together, after all she was in a committed relationship with Eddie and couldn't just break that off when he's done nothing wrong. As of right now She and Barry had to restart their relationship from scratch, maybe one day they would get to the level of friendship they once had, before Barry got struck by lightning.

But one thing was for sure, this was going to be the most awkward triple dates in the history of triple dates.

* * *

Meanwhile Cisco was running some diagnostics in his lab when he noticed something out of the ordinary. One of the Cells in the Pipeline was showing signs of sporadic elevated energy levels, which shouldn't be possible for two reasons. 1.) The Cells are designed to nullify Meta-Human powers and 2.) That Cell should be empty. How could an empty Cell generate those high energy levels? The answer was simple, it couldn't.

"Dr. Wells, I think I found something." Cisco called into the intercom hoping that his mentor heard him rather than Barry.

"What is it Cisco?" Wells asked as he rolled into the room mere moments after Cisco called for him.

Slightly surprised that Wells was right behind him so quick Cisco whirled around. "I found some funky energy reading coming from the pipeline." Cisco said as he showed the secret time traveler. "Do you think its from the 'Other-Barry' or our Barry?"

"Judging how these readings happen once a day and that they're happening while our Possible Fake Barry is not here I think we should investigate this cell. Which one was it again?"

"The one we designed to hold the Reverse-Flash."

* * *

Please tell me what you liked, didn't like, look forward to/think will happen, or your general thoughts and comments, this'll help me make this story better; I'm a big boy so I can take criticism. And if you Review you get a Shout Out and questions answered either privately or in the next chapter.

Have a Fantastic day.

**MORE REVIEW = FASTER UPDATES**


	11. First Dates

**Disclaimer: **The following is a nonprofit Fan based story; The FLASH and all related characters are owned by DC comics, the CW and anyone I may have missed.

So I'm shifting things up her and saying a great big thank you to everyone who reviewed and also everyone who's favorited this story you guys are the reason I'm continuing to write it, that and I really want you guys to see the end of it.

So Favorites, Thank you to **FlashFrost25, cocopuff1569, Leanish203, draconous, Flash Frost, DulceYingFa, rickjamesn64, NeoTyson, juliaglemoss, **and** Guardian Oturan**

And now for Reviewers;** Mr Panda, changingdestiny40, AReiss215, jinx777, Guest, Killie159, persin, Wildjay1585 **and** Annjul414**

**Mr Panda: **Yeah, because of Barry's actions Iris has become a 'Snowbarry' Shipper mainly because she's happy with Eddie and she thinks Barry will be happy with Caitlin.

**Guest: **There will be more Snowbarry.

**persin: **Say no more here's the update

**Wildjay1585: **I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. I hope you enjoy Cisco and Wells' investigation of the cell since you are so excited about it.

I love you all and to prove it I'm sending you all virtual hugs along with Chapter 11.

* * *

_The Flash: Rewriting History_

Chapter 11: First Dates

* * *

After Barry, Caitlin, Felicity and Ray left STAR Labs to get ready for the evening Iris went to go sit by her dad. When she heard that he almost died from dozens of robotic bees all the anger she felt for her father simmered away.

"Hey baby girl." Joe weakly greeted his daughter. "What are you doing here?"

"I came over as soon as I heard what happened." Iris replied. She stroked her father's hand, almost losing him made her realize she couldn't stay mad at him because maybe one day he'd be gone. "I'm so sorry dad…I'm so sorry for being mad at you…"

"No…you have every right to be mad at us baby." Joe gently wiped away the tears that were decorating his daughter's cheeks. "We were only trying to keep you safe from all of this. You know, I'd be lying if I didn't say a part of me still doesn't want you anywhere near all of this." he gestured to everything around them.

"But…why did you lie about it?" She asked sadly. "

"Because I thought it was the best way to keep you safe…" Joe breathed heavily. "I was being selfish in keeping you from all of this. I thought that if you were involved I couldn't be as focused because I'd be too worried about you…"

"Did you ever stop and think that maybe by including me in all this I could stay safer? Besides, I've got Eddie to help keep me safe, you two don't need to worry so much."

"I know baby…" Joe said. "I know…"

Barry-2024 stood in front of his mirror shifting from outfit to outfit. He was fairly excited to go on a date with Caitlin and it was technically their second first date. He smiled to himself at the memory of their first date.

* * *

**February 14 2022**

Barry flashed between a dozen outfits. Each time he switched outfits he ran over to Dawn and Don to seek their approval.

"How does this look?" He asked his son and daughter, as he showed off his latest outfit which was a simple red sweater over a white button up shirt, jeans and his converse. He and Caitlin had decided that their first date should be more on the casual side, even if it was Valentine's Day.

Because of the Speed Force being imparted to his children the twins looked like they were each seven years old even though they were technically still only two years old. If Caitlin hadn't found a way to decelerate their aging they would have easily been pushing into their tween years by now.

"You look very handsome daddy!" Dawn said happily. While she and her brother missed their mother very much they absolutely adored Aunt Caitlin or Auntie Cait as she was sometimes known.

"Auntie Cait's gonna love it!" Don was just as excited as his sister. Seeing their dad so down in the dumps after their mom's death had really brought down everyone so seeing him back out there and interacting with people especially Caitlin.

"You're sure you guys are ok with this?" Barry sat down between his kids. "I can cancel my date and spend the night with you two; you know just the three of us against the world."

"We're totally fine with it!" Don argued.

"Yeah! We love Auntie Cait!"

"Ok, ok, if you guys insist you're fine with it." Barry surrendered to the will of his children. "I just don't want you to think I'm forcing Caitlin to replace your mom."

**Knock-Knock-Knock** Three fast knocks echoed throughout the house catching the attention of the Flash and the Tornado Twins.

"GRANDPA JOE!" The twins yelled excitedly as they raced to the door. They opened it and there stood Joe West holding his arms wide open to sweep up his grandkids in a fierce bear hug.

"Hey you little rascals!" Joe was more than happy to look after his grandkids. It was like he got to spend the whole day or evening with young Barry and Iris all over again.

"Thank you so much for watching Dawn and Don Joe." Barry said as he began to put his jacket on.

"My pleasure Barry, now shouldn't you get a move on? Caitlin should be waiting for you."

Barry gave his foster father and kids a smirk before flashing out of the house and heading over to Caitlin's. On his way he bought a dozen roses and hid them behind his back as he rang her doorbell.

Caitlin answered the door and Barry swore his jaw hit the floor at Mach 2. She wore an extremely formfitting blue dress that left little to the imagination, though there wasn't much of anything between them due to certain events.

This wasn't their first night together. While he dating Iris there may have been one or two nights where, after an argument between Barry and Iris, Barry would find himself with Caitlin and while the nights started normally they all ended with the two of them tangled together in a hot naked mess the next morning.

They both felt awful about it the following morning, but instead of coming clean they buried those nights.

"What?" Caitlin asked suddenly self-conscious of what she was wearing. "Am I overdressed?"

"Uh, no you look absolutely gorgeous." Barry stuttered before pulling the roses out from behind his back. "Here, these are you. I mean these are for you."

"They're beautiful Barry" Caitlin took the roses with a smile and inhaled their scent before placing them in a vase on her counter.

"So are you ready?" Barry asked as Caitlin stepped out and locked her door.

Flashing him a smile Caitlin nodded. "Let's go."

Their date went fairly flawlessly and three hours later Barry and Caitlin were standing back at her door smiling brightly at each other.

"I had fun tonight Barry."

"I'm glad you did." Barry said "So, does this mean we'll be going on a second date?"

"I don't know let me check." She propped herself up on her tippy toes and planted a passionate kiss on Barry's lips for what felt like a few minutes before breaking it off. "Oh yeah, I definitely want to go on a second date."

"Well, the night doesn't have to end at your door." Barry smiled back at her before leaning down and planting another passionate kiss on her lips. "After all, this wouldn't be the first time you've invited me in for coffee." His voice was seductive and sent shivers down Caitlin's spine despite her abilities preventing her from ever being cold.

"Well then, do you want to come in Barry? Can I offer you anything?"

"I would love to. And I'll take the usual Cait." He went back in and began to ferociously kiss her neck as she unlocked her door and they quickly made their way to Caitlin's bedroom.

* * *

**Present Time**

"Well, this may be as good as it's going to get" Barry said to himself as he looked over his latest outfit. "I should probably get her something like roses. She should like roses."

* * *

Caitlin shuffled through her closet looking for a nice dress to wear, she was still fuzzy on the how but one of her secret fanaticizes was coming true, she was going on a date with Barry Allen, granted it was a triple date set up by Felicity, the only other guy she could see herself with.

She looked over what felt like a million dresses and she couldn't seem to find the right one. She only paused when she stumbled on the sparkly black dress she wore that one night she and Barry went on a stake out to find Peek-a-boo and her boyfriend, Clay Parker. A coy smile spread across her face as she vaguely remembered that night.

Sliding past it Caitlin stopped when she came across a blue cocktail dress with a single shoulder strap. It was the dress she wore to her and Ronnie's engagement party. Thinking about Ronnie made her sad, it was a life she may never have.

"I guess this one will have to do."

Twenty minutes later Caitlin was applying the last of her makeup when she heard the doorbell ring. She tapped her phone to check the time it was seven, clearly she was going to be late and if her gut was correct Barry was also late and clearly was just outside her door.

"Just a second!" Caitlin called out of her bathroom. Quickly putting her makeup away Caitlin made her way to the door, throwing it open Caitlin was met with Barry standing in her doorway. He wore a dark gray suit, white shirt with a blue-gray stripped tie. His arms were behind his back much to her curiosity. "Barry what are you doing here? I told you I would meet you there. You don't have to pick me up or give me a lift or anything."

"Well, I was running late figured you were late as well so I thought we might as well arrive together, besides I don't mind giving you a lift" Barry brought his arms out from behind his back revealing a dozen roses. "And I thought you might like these."

Caitlin was dumbstruck that Barry brought her roses. Putting on a smile she reached out and took them before smelling them, taking in their aroma.

"These are beautiful Barry, thank you." Caitlin turned around and walked into her kitchen. "Let me just put these in a vase then I guess we can head over to meet Felicity, Ray Iris and Eddie."

Barry watched as Caitlin walked away. He loved her in that blue dress. Back in his original time line that was what she wore when they went on their first official date, it was also the one she wore the day they made their child that may never be born.

"Take your time Cait, we're already late anyway." Barry watched as she filled a vase with water and placed the bouquet on her counter.

Caitlin grabbed a small blue hand bag and made her way over to Barry. "Ready?" She asked the Flash

"Let's go." Barry scooped her up in his arms and flashed them over to the restaurant.

They arrived just outside and walked in to see Iris, Eddie, Felicity and Ray were already there sitting at the table. He held out his arm for Caitlin to loop her arm through his and together they joined the group.

"Caitlin! Barry! So glad you guys made it!" Felicity jumped out of her seat and embraced Caitlin in a hug.

"Hey Barry," Eddie said greeting his coworker.

"It's so nice that you and Barry made it." Iris gave Caitlin a glistening smile and wrapped her arms around the bio-engineer in a tight hug.

"Hi guys." Barry replied giving Eddie a smile. If in this timeline he and Iris were no longer meant to be then he was glad Eddie was there for Iris.

"Well, now that we're all here shall we get started?" Ray asked as he pulled out a chair for Felicity who sat down smiling. Barry, Caitlin, Iris and Eddie joined soon after and they began a quite plesaent evening.

Comparing this triple date to the initial dinner where Barry Allen was the fifth wheel, Barry found himself enjoying the evening so much more.

"Actually I bought the company where Felicity was employed and so she was forced to join Palmer Tech." Ray explained to Eddie and Iris. Barry looked over towards the three persons in conversation currently since this was where it initially got awkward.

"So you two work closely together? Interesting." Eddie said before sending a glance Iris' way and taking a sip of wine. "I guess that means you do a lot of sharing don't you?"

"Yeah, I uh, well I sort of share everything with Felicity." Ray explained. "There aren't any secrets between us."

"It's nice that you two have that level of communication." Barry nearly choked on his wine when he heard Iris say that.

"Well, I don't think they share everything." Caitlin chimed in. Barry looked over at her and could see she was feeling rather uncomfortable. "Sometimes it's good to keep some secrets." She exchanged a look with Barry who gave her a small smile.

"Speaking of secrets how long?" Eddie asked the fifth and sixth wheels.

"What?" Barry and Caitlin asked at the same time while looking at Eddie.

"How long have you two been together?" Eddie reiterated. "Cause three weeks ago you were still dating Linda."

"Well, uh…" For someone who graduated Magna Cum Laude with a PhD in bio-engineering at the age of 21 Caitlin had absolutely no idea how to respond.

"We aren't actually together. Not officially or anything." Barry quickly responded giving Caitlin a look. He had to be honest in this situation. "You know before tonight I was actually trying to figure out how to ask Caitlin out."

"Really?" Caitlin was rather shocked at that confession.

"Yeah," Barry gave them a goofy grin. "We've both been so busy and because of other reasons I just never gave it much thought until now." He sent a glance to Iris when he said other reasons.

"Well, I'm glad you found someone to make you happy Barry." Eddie said to the scarlet speedster. "You definitely need someone who can put up with that lightning psychosis of yours."

* * *

Meanwhile in STAR Labs Cisco made his way into their Meta-Human Prison while Dr. Wells monitored the situation from the Cortex.

He stood at the entrance to the prison and punched a few buttons calling forth the cell designed for the Reverse-Flash.

Looking inside it appeared to be completely empty, but the readings Cisco was getting were exceeding what would be considered normal for an empty cell.

"Dr. Wells I'm at the cell, it looks empty."

"_I would proceed with caution Cisco; if there is someone in there we wouldn't want to open it too hastily."_

"Alright" Cisco hit the switch to open the cell but he was met with a screen he did not recognize. Emblazoned red with two words.

-**Access Denied-**

"Odd." Cisco began to try and hack into "Dr. Wells, there appears to be some kind of lock on this cell I can't open it."

"_Describe it to me Cisco"_

"Uh, futuristic and holographic and uh, red." Cisco began investigating the panel to try and find some kind of access point. "I can't find any access port for me to hack in."

"_I'll be down there in a minute Cisco,"_

* * *

"I've got to admit I'm rather jealous of the both of you. You get to spend so much time working with Harrison Wells." Ray said to both Barry and Caitlin. "He's a personal hero of mine. It's quite amazing to just be standing in the same room as him."

"Yeah, he's really something." Barry took a sip of his wine trying to bury his rage for the man who gave and took so much from him.

"Dr. Wells and his team saved Barry's life after he was struck by lightning." Iris added before turning to Caitlin.

"Yeah, uh Barry's condition was dire and Dr. Wells thought the equipment we had at S.T.A.R. Labs was much better suited to monitoring his condition." Caitlin explained.

-**ding-** Barry was smiling having a great time when his phone went off. "Excuse me for a minute." He said to the other five people in the room before pulling the phone out.

Caitlin watched as Barry's face dropped while he read the screen. "What's wrong Barry?"

"Uh, nothing Cait I just gotta step out for a moment." Barry said. "I'll be back in a…shortly." The fastest man alive had to stop himself before using his signature catch phrase. It was a little too early for him to start saying that.

"Aw, don't leave Barry, the food just got here." Eddie said

"Sorry, but I really got to go." Barry said standing up. "Dr. Wells is asking for me to help with something."

"If Dr. Wells called you then I'll come with you." Caitlin made a move to grab her purse and stand up but Barry placed a firm hand on her shoulder.

"Stay here Cait, have some fun. You deserve a night off once in a while." Barry looked into her eyes, firmly yet gently with a look that made Caitlin feel butterflies go mad in her stomach.

"Uh, ok…" Caitlin sat right back down. They all watched as Barry left and that's when Felicity asked the question that had been on her mind for a while now.

"So uh, what's up with Barry?" She asked both Iris and Caitlin. "He's been kind of off…"

Caitlin shifted rather uncomfortably. Dr. Wells and Cisco had their theory that Barry wasn't actually Barry. "It's complicated."

Barry ran back towards STAR Labs. Someone had attempted to access the cell where he locked away his present counterpart. There were only two people it could be; Cisco or Thawne, and he was praying that it was not Thawne trying to access the cell.

"Gideon what's going on?"

-**Someone is trying to access Barry Allen's Cell-**

"Who?"

-**Francisco Ramon**-

"Damn it!" From the sound of things Cisco found Barry's cell. That means he probably told Dr. Wells about it and if he did then it is only a matter of time before they get the cell open. Sure he used future tech and Gideon as a lock but Eobard Thawne could get through it in a heartbeat. "Lock that cell down! Make sure they cannot open that Cell until I get there!"

-**Understood Barry Allen-**

* * *

Cisco and Dr. Wells analyzed every inch of the cell looking for anything that could be some kind of access port for them.

"I found something!" Cisco pulled open one of the side panels of the Cells. "It's a small access port."

"Can you use it to open the cell?" His mentor asked asked

"I can try but I may need…oh, that's not a good sign." As Cisco fiddled with the wires a small rectangular hologram jumped out at them.

Dr. Wells rolled up next to Cisco and analyzed the holographic panel than manifested inches off the glass. "This looks pretty high tech, unlike anything we have here." Wells adjusted his glasses before using a scanner to get a rough look at what this thing was even though he knew exactly what it was. Try getting through it Cisco, in the mean time I'll take the schematics to my lab and see if I can find a way to open it."

Cisco nodded before connected his tablet directly to the internal hardware. After what felt like hours Cisco managed to make the glass flicker. Cisco tried again and this time the whole glass changed revealing Barry Allen.

"Barry?"

"Cisco!" Barry exclaimed happily. His friend had found him he was finally going to get out of here. "Boy; am I glad to see you!"

"Dude what the hell is going on?" Cisco demanded.

"I don't know. Some future version of me grabbed me and locked me in here." Barry explained. "Where's Caitlin?"

"She's on a triple date with other-you, Iris, Eddie, Felicity and Ray." Cisco answered awkwardly.

"What!?" Barry was now quite confused. What exactly was his future-self planning? "Cisco, you've got to get them all out of there now! He may say he's here to save us, but i have my doubts since he knows who killed my mother."

"He knows what happened? That's great! We can totally get him to confess and get your dad out of prison!"

"We'll worry about that later Cisco, right now where's Dr. Wells?" Barry asked looking for the wheelchair bound man he saw talking with Mark Mardon a while ago.

"He just went up to his lab to try and get this cell open, and from the looks of things this is a biometric lock, you know like in those futuristic spy movies. There is no way Felicity nor I can hack through that. But it doesn't mean we won't try." Cisco frantically began to try and find a way to get his friend out of that cell. But everything he did kept kicking him out of the system. "This system keeps locking me out. Its like there's some kind of lock-down protocol."

"It's probably set to my future self." Barry theorized. "So only we can open this cell."

"_Cisco you have to get out of there right now!"_ Dr. Well's voice came through the intercom. "_Other Barry is on his way!"_

"We'll be back Barry, I promise!"

"Cisco! Be careful of Wells." Barry warned. "I think he may be up to something."

* * *

As fast as he could Cisco reactivated the Cell to block out Barry before making his way back up to the cortex just in time as Barry-2024 Showed up.

"Hey man, what're you doing here?" Cisco asked "Aren't you supposed to be out to dinner with Caitlin?"

"Uh hey Cisco…" Barry breathed out. "I came back because I thought you needed my help with something…"

Cisco frowned and looked away from Barry, trying to act inconspicuous. "Uh, nope me and Dr. Wells got everything under control here, but I have to ask. Did you leave Caitlin there alone?"

"No! Yes! I mean, damn…" Barry ran a hand through his hair. "I'm heading back now…I really hope Iris and Felicity haven't grilled her too hard in the three minutes I've been gone." Cisco watched as Barry took off in a flurry of electricity.

* * *

As Barry-2024 ran back to meet up with Caitlin and the rest of their dinner party said Bio-engineer was being interrogated by Felicity.

Felicity Smoke pulled Caitlin away from the table into the hallway and began the interrogation. "Okay, you all have been acting strange ever since Ray and I got into town. And don't say its been a bad day. Because I know what a bad day feels like, Oliver's joining the League of Assassins, long story I know, Laurel's the Clack Canary, and Thea's training with Malcolm." Felicity questioned.

"It's complicated." Caitlin tried to explain.

"Try me."

"Cisco, Dr. Wells and Joe have this crazy theory that Barry isn't exactly Barry."

"What do you mean?" the blond questioned. She gave Caitlin an intense look that demanded answers.

"The theory is he's actually the Reverse-Flash masquerading as Barry."

"Wait isn't the Reverse-Flash the one who killed Barry's mother? But that doesn't make any sense." Felicity argued. "Does Iris know?"

"No, we haven't told her." Caitlin explained before the both of them looked back at Iris who was deep in conversation with Eddie. "Barry just told her he was the Flash and that didn't go so well. There's no telling how she'll take it."

"She deserves to know something's up."

"I know, but I don't want to be the one who destroys her faith in Barry." Caitlin subconsciously bit her lip. Felicity was right that Iris deserved to know what was going on but a part of Caitlin still doubted that Barry wasn't Barry.

Their conversation was cut short as Barry came back into the restaurant. "Sorry about that everyone. I just had to check in with Dr. Wells."

"That's alright Barry," Ray said "I'm sure whatever it was it was very important."

"You have no idea." Barry mumbled under his breath.

"Well, desert's here so let's dig in!" Iris clapped her hands together to draw everyone back to the table to finish their triple date.

* * *

Two hours later the dinner ended and everyone parted ways. Felicity and Ray headed back to Starling City while Eddie and Iris returned to their apartment and Barry took Caitlin home.

"I had a lot of fun tonight Barry." Caitlin said as he walked her up to her door.

"I did to." Barry smiled. "Maybe we could do it again some other time."

"I'd love that." Caitlin smiled at Barry. Any doubts she had seemingly melted away when they were together.

Barry leaned in at the same time as Caitlin and the two met halfway. After what felt like an eternity they broke apart and soaked in each other's facial features.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow." Barry said

"Yeah, see you tomorrow Barry."

After Barry left Caitlin walked back into her apartment when her cell phone rang. "Hey Cisco what's up?"

"_Uh, nothing. Listen you need to get to STAR Labs right away and maybe you should get Iris to come with you. She'll want to be in on this._"

"Why? What's wrong Cisco? Should I call Barry?"

"_NO! Um, this is about Barry…uh you're just gonna have to see this for yourself._"

"Ok, Cisco, I'll be there as soon as I can."

* * *

Twenty minutes later Cisco, Dr. Wells, Joe, Caitlin Iris and Eddie were all standing outside the entrance to the Pipeline Prison.

"What are we all doing here?" Eddie asked Team Flash and Iris. Out of everyone there he was the only one not in the loop concerning Barry's dual identity as the Flash. When Caitlin called asking for just Iris to join them at S.T.A.R. Labs, Eddie insisted that he join them since he felt like everyone was keeping something from him and he wanted to know, especially if it was driving a wedge between him and Iris.

"Look, this may be a shock to you two but um…" Cisco began to twiddle his thumbs.

"We think the Barry with us now is an impostor." Joe finished for Cisco.

Iris and Eddie exchanged looks before turning to the ones proposing an impostor Barry.

"That's impossible." Iris argued. "If Barry isn't actually Barry, then how does he know every detail of our childhood?"

"Would someone fill me in?" Eddie asked. "What exactly is going on here?"

"It would be easiest if we just show you, Cisco." Dr. Wells motioned to Cisco and the engineer plugged in the keys calling forth the empty cell.

"Cisco this is an empty cell." Caitlin argued. "There's nothing in there."

"Give me a minute." Cisco countered, he opened up the panel and began to hack into the cell. The glass flickered briefly before the hologram of an empty cell disappeared and everyone came face to face with the person in the cell; Barry Allen.

* * *

Please tell me what you liked, didn't like, look forward to/think will happen, or your general thoughts and comments, this'll help me make this story better; I'm a big boy so I can take criticism, or you know you can just favorite and follow just to show your support and if you Review or favorite you get a Shout Out and questions answered either privately or in the next chapter.

Have a Fantastic day.

**MORE REVIEW = FASTER UPDATES**


	12. Would the Real Barry Allen Stand Up

**Disclaimer: **The following is a nonprofit Fan based story; The FLASH and all related characters are owned by DC comics, the CW and anyone I may have missed.

Special thanks to everyone who Favorited, Followed and Reviewed.

Our New Followers;** sweetdreamszombie, shadowmagi98, bluewolf2208, Arrael, The18thDoctor, KitKatLove96, Shinigami1619, luna3818,** and** Trisoul **welcome aboard on this fantastic story.

Now new Favorites; **shadowmagi98,** **PrinceShadow11, Arrael, angel15623, Alba Salvatore, KitKatLove96, tbuck93, Naruto Uzumaki 21, and RAD092515****. **Your Support is always welcomed.

And of course I cannot forget those of you who reviewed the last chapter of this tale; **AReiss215, SnowyDoves, changingdestiny40, demonfox2140, Guest(1), Guest(2), jinx777, Killie159, Mr panda, Mason Marek, TheMentalDilemma, Guest(3), dzbegoun, Wildjay1585, KitKatLove96, Flash frost, persin, **and** Immortalman18.**

Now on to the guest reviewers who make it sort of tough to reply, but I enjoy this none the less.

**Guest(1): **Glad u love it. Hope you keep up reviewing.

**Guest(2):** Well since you said please here's the next update

**Mr panda:** Wait no more. There is still a lot of SnowBarry to come especially next few chapters

**Guest(3):** You saying u love it is a nice thing to hear and the best part is you don't really have to wait to see what happens next.

**Wildjay1585: **Like I've been saying you don't have to wait any longer to find out everyone's reactions to locked up Barry and what they plan to do.

**persin:** last and certainly not least I have updated so there is nothing left to fear, until the end of this chapter.

Alright, favorites followers and reviewers are now out of the way we can get to what you all actually came here for, the story.

* * *

_The Flash: Rewriting History_

Chapter 12: Would the Real Barry Allen Stand Up

* * *

Barry scanned the group of people standing outside his cell a wide smile of relief spread over his face.

"Barry!" Caitlin breathed out as her eyes fell on the scarlet speedster behind the glass. She took a few steps forward and placed her hand on the glass. "We have to get him out of there!" She ordered as she turned back to the group.

"We can't, it's a biometric lock." Cisco explained. "We think only Other-Barry can open it."

"Is there anything we can do?" Iris asked

"Not unless you've got Barry's hand and eyeball laying around at your house." Cisco received some very unhappy looks. "Sorry, not the appropriate time for that."

"Can't we just break the glass?" Joe asked "Didn't Hartley do that when you all had him trapped in one of these cells."

"True, but he busted it from the inside with a sonic device." Cisco answered.

"Actually it shouldn't be too hard to recreate that device." Wells spoke. "But, let me talk to Barry." Wells wheeled closer to the cell. "Barry…If my hunch is right then you won't need us to destroy the glass."

"What?" Iris asked confused.

Wells ignored her slight outburst and continued. "Listen to me carefully Barry, this cell is nothing to you. Even if it is set to neutralize your powers you can still get through."

"How?"

"If you vibrate at the natural frequency air you can walk right through that cell." Wells explained to the trapped speedster.

"I…I don't think I can…" Barry stuttered out.

"You can do it Barry." Caitlin cut in. Personally she didn't know if Barry could actually do something like this. It seemed like a stretch from super speed. "I believe in you."

Iris stepped behind Caitlin and put a hand on her shoulder before looking towards Barry. "We all believe in you.

Barry's body began to shake and vibrate as he approached the glass. Placing a hand on the glass Barry tried to phase through but he failed. "I can't…I can't do it!"

"Listen to me Barry. Breathe." Wells made a breathing mothing and gestured Barry to copy him. "Breathe. Feel the air around you. Feel the ground beneath your feet, lifting you up…pushing you forward and the lightning…" Wells exhaled reminiscing of his lost speed. "Feel the lightning. Feel it's power coursing through you. Feel it pumping through your veins, crackling through you, traveling to every nerve, every cell like a shock. You are no longer just you Barry, you're a part of something greater. Part of a Speed Force, It's yours Barry now reach out and take it back!"

Everyone looked at Wells while he spoke hanging on every word he said. He spoke as if from experience which was unusual since he was not a speedster.

They all watched with bated breaths as Barry breathed in and began to vibrate once more, though curious enough no electricity was seen anywhere on his body. He lunged forward only to collide with the glass before falling onto the floor of his cell.

"BARRY!" Joe cried out. Seeing his son get hurt was not something Joe ever looked forward to.

Barry just sat up and held his nose which was oozing a trail of red liquid.

"Dude, are you OK?" Cisco asked as he inched closer to the cell but Wells held out an arm halting the young engineer.

"I'm sorry…I can't do it…" Barry's eyes began to well with tears.

Wells sighed in defeat before turning around to Cisco. "Cisco, let's go. We need to remake Hartley's device to destroy the glass." Cisco nodded before following Wells out of the pipeline but not before giving one last look to Barry, Caitlin, Joe, Iris and Eddie.

"So Barry's the Flash." Eddie restated that fact trying to wrap his head around it. It was kind of hard for him to believe Nerdy forensic scientist Barry was actually the super-fast guardian angel of Central City.

Barry, Caitlin, Joe and Iris turned to the blond detective.

"Yeah, I'm the Flash." Barry spoke. "We're sorry for lying to you Eddie."

"I'm not mad, just shocked that's all." Eddie ran a hand through his hair. "So all of you knew about this?"

"I've known since the beginning." Joe said. "And Iris only found out recently."

* * *

Meanwhile looking over Central City like Batman, Barry-2024 just watched his city with hawk like eyes. When he got the call from Gideon that Cisco was attempting to get into the cell Barry knew he had to act quickly or everything could fall apart.

It was roughly midnight and Barry could help but let his mind drift back to Ray and Felicity. In his original timeline after the disaster of a relationship Felicity and Oliver had Ray was quite literally a ray of light in Felicity's life until he was whisked away by the Indigo Tribe.

He thought back to the last conversation they had just before the duo left for Starling City.

* * *

**Twenty Minutes Ago**

"Well, it was nice meeting you Barry" Ray said as he and Barry shook hands. "I look forward to any heroic adventures we might share."

"Yeah, me to" Barry smiled genuinely before turning to Felicity. "Hey, Felicity can I talk to you for a moment? It's kind of private." Ray got the message and left the two geeky friends alone

"So, what's been-?"

"You do realize you've got a great thing going on with you and Ray right?" Barry asked suddenly catching Felicity off guard. He knew she was in love with Oliver much in the same way he was still in love with Iris.

"Um, yeah I get that Barry…"

Barry didn't want Felicity to be sad especially after what was going to happen in the following year with Damian Dhark, her temporary paralysis and especially Oliver's son, William.

* * *

**August 12 2020**

Barry stood at the door to Oliver's apartment and knocked several times. The Green Arrow called him, Cisco and Caitlin over from Central City to help with a Meta Human, calling himself Abra Kadabra, who could also use magic thanks to his meta-gene.

"Hey Oliver you in there?" It was rather odd for Oliver to have his door locked so after sharing a look with both Caitlin and Cisco Barry proceeded to use the key Oliver gave him the previous year.

The trio from S.T.A.R. Labs entered the penthouse of the mayor of Star City and they were met with an adorable surprise, William Clayton-Queen sat at the counter eating a large plate of waffles cloaked in maple syrup, whipped cream, strawberries and chocolate chips, while Oliver watched his son eat breakfast with a smile.

After Samantha was murdered by Dhark and his constitutes there was no one left to take care of William aside from Oliver and Oliver did not want his son to grow up in some orphanage so in the eyes of the law and Star City he had to adopt his own son just to keep the circumstances of their relationship secret per Samantha's wishes.

"Hey guys." Oliver greeted the three meta-humans with a very uncharacteristic smile.

"Uh, who are you and what have you done with Oliver Queen?" Cisco asked. "Are you his doppelgänger?"

"Don't be ridiculous Cisco, Oliver's doppelgänger from Earth-2 is dead."

Barry ignored the bickering between Cisco and Caitlin as he shook Oliver's hand. "Hey Oliver, so do we have any leads on our new" He glanced down at William before continuing. "m-e-t-a-h-u-m-a-n?" He spelled out.

"William knows Barry," Oliver explained softly

"He knows? Does he know you're?"

"The Green Arrow? Yes."

"Isn't that so cool?" William asked the Flash. "My dad is Mayor and the Green Arrow! Did you know he saved me?"

"I did know that." Barry said to the little boy. Seeing William made Barry reminisce about his wife and kids. His relationship with Iris was not as messy as Barry's love life aside from that one moment while they were dating.

"So, does William know I'm-"

"A forensic scientist for the Central City Police Department." Oliver quickly jumped in. Apparently he didn't want William to know Barry was his favorite super hero.

"Cool! I used to live in Central City!" The fourteen year old boy proclaimed proudly

Barry smiled at the boy. After everything they'd been through Barry fully believed Oliver and William deserved happiness and love. Maybe one day there will be someone to fill the voids left by Felicity and Samantha.

"Morning Oliver" A new voice caught the attention of Barry, Cisco and Caitlin. They all turned around simultaneously to see Laurel coming down the stairs wearing a shirt that was clearly one of Oliver's.

"Laurel?" Caitlin asked just to be sure they were seeing what they were seeing.

"Not Laurel…" Cisco questioned.

"I know that is my name in the public eye but I'm still Donna Nance from Earth-2, remember?" Laurel look-a-like from Earth-2 asked.

Caitlin immediately remembered her experience on Earth-2. Zoom kidnapped her and forced her to work on Velocity-9 for several weeks it was only with the help of Killer Frost, Black Siren, the real Flash of Earth-2, and of course Barry and Cisco that she was finally freed. "Sorry, it's just weird that two alternate versions of the same person could have different names."

"Kind of like how your doppelgänger goes by Crystal Frost?" Cisco asked Caitlin.

Barry felt himself smile slightly. Earth-2 Laurel had lost her Oliver on that fateful ship while Earth-1 Oliver had lost his Laurel to Dhark this was just like _Dr. Who_ when the Tyler family was rebuilt across two dimensions. Sure Oliver might still be in love with Felicity but the blond woman made her choice.

"So, how can Team Flash help team Arrow with your Metahuman?" Barry asked completely forgetting William was still in the room.

* * *

**Present Day - Twenty Minutes Ago**

Coming out of the memory about how happy Oliver could actually be with William and a new Laurel, Barry nearly lost his train of thought, almost. "I just, well I just…I know this may sound a bit hypocritical coming from me but, I think you and Ray complement each other extremely well." Felicity felt like she knew what he was saying but would rather hear him actually say it. "What I'm trying to say is I think you should move on from Oliver and focus on Ray. He's a great guy who'd get you the moon."

The blond IT for Team Arrow smiled at the fastest man alive. He was so sweet with his words and even though things between her and Oliver still could fan out and they could make it work. "That's nice of you to say Barry, but um…"

"Just think about it Felicity, you've got two great guys but I think only one of them is willing and able to do everything for you." Felicity could feel her smile drop a little as slowly realized what Barry was asking of her. She did want to move on from Oliver, but she continuously wondered it she even could. Barry believed she could. Ray probably thought she did. Even her own mother believed her heart had moved on.

before she could respond the future CEO of Palmer Tech was saved by her current boyfriend. "Well, I hate to be that guy, but if we don't hurry you'll miss your train Felicity."

"Oh, right Ray." Felicity gave a smile to Barry, Caitlin, Iris and Eddie as the latter three joined the ground. "Well, I guess we'll be seeing you guys around."

"We should do this again." Ray suggested. "This Three-way date was kind of fun."

* * *

**Present Time**

Barry-2024 continued to overlook his city even when Gideon began to ping him that someone as attempting to access the cell.

"It's alright Gideon, they cannot open it without my eye and my hand."

-**My scans indicate that Mr. Ramon is attempting to utilize a sonic device on the Containment Unit.-**

Barry immediately looked down as Gideon showed him a video feed of Cisco placing a device onto the Cell. Clearly they had the intent to bust it open if they couldn't unlock it.

"Damn it!" Barry leaned forward and let gravity pull him off the ledge before he began to run down the side of the building and towards STAR Labs leaving a trail of sapphire blue lightning in his wake.

"Alright this should do it." Cisco finished planting the device and took several steps back. "You guys may want to cover your eyes and ears if this words."

"Barry, get down!" Joe cried out to his son. Barry nodded and huddled in a corner of his cell with his back to the glass.

Just as Cisco hit the button Barry-2024 raced through the entryway in a blur of blue electricity so fast no one registered him. But just before he could pull the device off the glass it exploded in his face sending him flying backward as the glass exploded in all directions sending small shards of shrapnel in every direction.

He barely registered someone screaming his name, Caitlin maybe. Quickly Barry regained some sense of what was happening and using his super speed Barry grabbed the large pieces that were flying towards everyone.

As the dust settled Barry-2024 looked to his friends and family.

"Are you guys O-" **ZIP** Barry felt pain in his shoulder as a dart punctured his deltoid muscle. He yanked out the dart and turned back to the group to see Dr. Wells holding the tranquilizer gun and everyone else turning to the future speedster before he suddenly felt weak and collapsed when he looked up both Joe and Eddie were holding him firmly while Caitlin, Iris and Cisco were helping the Barry in the cell to his feet.

"Are you OK Barry?" iris asked her brother as Caitlin checked him over for his cuts, bruises and anything else he might have gotten such as malnutrition.

"I'm fine…" He groaned out. "Damn bastard locked me in there and threw away the key."

"Well, everything's OK now man. we caught him and got you out." Cisco patted Barry's back reassuringly and he recieved a weak smile

"Come on Barry, let's get you up to my lab. I need to run tests to make sure you're OK." Caitlin gently began to guide Barry out of the cell alongside Iris. Caitlin was rather conflicted. On one hand she was glad that they had Barry back but on the other this meant that everything she and Barry shared was a lie between her and a man she didn't even know. She should have known there was something wrong when Barry started showing interest in her so suddenly.

"Thank…you…"

"Wait! Stop!" Barry-2024 pleaded to the group. Everyone turned to him with anger etched on their faces, he lied to them, he kidnapped Barry, and he killed people.

"Why should we listen to you?" Cisco demanded. "you kidnapped Barry and locked him up in that cell for god knows how long!"

"No look, you don't understand."

"I think we understand perfectly." Iris said to the man masquerading as her brother and first love. "You kidnapped Barry, impersonated him and for what?"

"No, listen that's not me" He warned.

"It's gonna take a lot more than a dumb lie to fool us this time fake Barry." Joe spoke into Barry's ear. This sonovabitch was gonna pay for what he did to Barry, and for hurting Iris the way he did.

"No, that's really not me!" Barry pleaded as Caitlin; Iris guided the other Barry past him. "It's the shapeshifter you guys mentioned earlier!"

* * *

**Thirty Minutes Ago**

Just before Barry left S.T.A.R. Labs to head back to his date with Caitlin, Iris Eddie, Felicity and Ray, Barry thought about how Cisco had tampered with the cell and went to investigate.

He hit a few buttons on the Cell keypad and the glass shifted revealing Barry-2015. "What did you tell Cisco?"

Barry-2015 said nothing as Barry-2024 entered his cell and violently grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and slammed him into the wall of the cell.

"WHAT DID YOU TELL HIM?" Barry roared. But instead of answering Barry-2015 threw his head forward and connected with his older self's nose making it bleed and forcing the older speedster to loosen his grip enough for Barry-2015 to make an escape.

Barry-2024 clutched the bridge of his nose and immediately chased after his younger self Grabbing him and pinning him to the ground before he could even make it to the hall way.

"I can't let you out of here Barry, not until everything it finished!"

Barry-2015 threw an elbow to try and break out of his grasp. "CISCO! DR. WELLS! ANY-!" Before Barry could call out for anyone else he felt his world go black as his future-self knocked him out cold.

"I'm sorry, but my work isn't done yet." Barry-2024 slung the unconscious Barry over his shoulder and quickly sped him to another undisclosed location.

When he was done Barry knew what he needed to do next. He had to enact a plan so that his friends and family wouldn't doubt who he was.

* * *

**Present Time**

Almost as soon as Barry-2024 said that, the Other Barry shoved Iris off his arm, grabbed Joe's gun and held it against Caitlin's head while his other arm wrapped securely around her chest.

"Alright, everyone get back or I blow this woman's head off!" He threatened.

"BARRY!?" Iris screamed at her best friend as he threatened Caitlin.

Seeing the woman he loved threatened made Barry's blood begin to boil. Sure he had nabbed Hannibal Bates to use in his ploy to regain their trust but this was not the way he had expected this to go. There was no way in hell he would allow Hannibal Bates to hurt Caitlin.

He rushed forward, even with the temporary dampening of his speed, courtesy of Dr. Wells, Barry grabbed both Caitlin and Everyman before all three of them plummeted off the edge to the bottom of the Particle Accelerator.

Everyone ran to the edge worried about Barry and Caitlin. As they peered over the edge they could see one Barry sprawled out on the ground, and Caitlin was on top of the other Barry, apparently he was used to break her fall.

No one could tell the Barry's apart since they looked exactly the same and even were wearing the same clothes.

"Caitlin! Are you OK?" Cisco called down to his sister-figure.

Caitlin groaned as she sat up. "I'm fine Cisco, ugh Barry broke our fall." Caitlin looked down at the man who was her cushion before getting off of him to make sure he was OK, "Barry? Barry! Are you OK? Can you hear me? Barry please say something so I know you're alright!"

"…Something…" Barry groaned out as he opened his eyes. Caitlin exhaled a huge sigh of relief before embracing Barry in a tight embrace.

Barry however just stared down the unmoving body of the other-Barry near them. "Thank god… It's over…"

The Other Barry began to stir and get up with difficulty. "Cait…get away from him… it's not me…"

Caitlin looked from one Barry to the other, she could not tell them apart. The one closest to her (the one she landed on) took her hand.

"Caitlin, look at me. I'm the real me can't you see?"

"LET GO OF HER!" The other Barry yelled as he pounced and grabbed Barry yanking him away from Caitlin.

The two of them grappled and struggled. Without his speed it was nearly impossible to tell the two apart. Both of them reached for the gun on the ground and in the struggle it got kicked over towards Caitlin.

The Bioengineer grabbed the gun and trained it on the two Barrys. Her hands and the gun were shaking; she had no idea what to do.

One of the Barrys managed to get the other into a head lock turning them towards Caitlin.

"Caitlin…Shoot him…" he barely managed to get out as he struggled to hold the other Barry.

Caitlin cast Barry a worried look. "I…I can't…"

"…Cait…it's me…" The other Barry pleaded. "I know you…don't…"

"Caitlin, do it!"

Tears were welling up in her eyes just before she closed them and let her instincts take over as she felt herself pull the trigger. The shot rang out followed by a scream of pain. Caitlin opened her eyes to see the Barry that was using the choke hold clutching his foot in pain while the other Barry struggled to catch his breath.

The wounded Barry then began to flicker as his entire body began to transform between multiple different persons, confirming him to be the shapeshifter.

"You shot him?" The non-wounded Barry asked as he rubbed his throat. "How'd you know he was the fake?"

Caitlin dropped the gun. "I…I honestly didn't know…I was aiming at the floor, that and when he told me to shoot I realized that was something you'd never ask me to do… Barry I…I'm so…so sorry…" She was still shaking and she could feel tears trickling down her left cheek. "I'm so sorry we even considered you were lying to us…" Barry made his way over to her and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug.

"It's OK Cait…" He cooed into her ear as the rest of their friends made their way down to their level.

"Are you guys OK?" Cisco asked as he and Iris rushed over to Barry and Caitlin.

"How'd you know which one was the real Barry?" Iris asked. They all glanced over to the shapeshifter to see Joe and Eddie slap a pair of handcuffs on his wrists and stand him up.

"Are you all right son?" Joe asked Barry.

"I'm fine Joe, really." Barry reassured his father figure he was fine. What no one knew was that Barry's plan had gone almost perfectly, save for them busting Everyman out of his cell.

Once Everyman was safely locked away in a cell since he knew what was going on in S.T.A.R. Labs, Joe and Eddie rejoined the rest of the team in the Cortex where Caitlin had just finished patching up several of the small cuts Barry got from the exploding cell.

"How come you didn't tell us about the shapeshifter bro?" Cisco asked. He and Caitlin were honestly surprised that there even was a shapeshifter running around Central City, they thought they made it up to try and throw Barry off their trail, but it turned out to be real as did Barry.

"Well remember how you guys told me about there being a new meta-human on the loose and I said I'd look into any bizarre case files?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, I found nearly a dozen files where there were robberies where the perp was clearly seen on security footage, but at the same time the perp had an air tight alibi. Not only that but the stolen goods would almost always turn up in a pawn shop a few days later, all being sold by different people."

"So you went after this guy on your own? Why didn't you bring us in on it?" Barry was about to answer Cisco but Joe stepped in first.

"A better question is when and how did you find this guy?" Joe asked his son.

"It was earlier today. I had some down time before diner so I checked out those cases and determined where the stolen items were being sold and back tracked them to one Hannibal Bates."

"So you just arrested him?"

"Actually I caught him with possession of said stolen property." Barry explained, everyone seemed to buy it since it was true.

"Well, we've got one more bad guy off the streets and we can close those cases and help all those people." Eddie said "All thanks to you Bar."

* * *

Meanwhile in an undisclosed location underneath Central City Barry-2015 suddenly came to only to find himself tied to a chair. He began to struggle against his bonds but he could do nothing against them. There was some kind of metal on his wrists.

With minimal options left Barry tried to break out but he couldn't use his speed. When he found out he couldn't he began to scream, maybe there'd be someone nearby to hear him. "HELP! SOMEBODY! JOE! CISCO! CAITLIN! ANYBODY!? SOMEBODY HELP ME!"

Barry didn't know it but someone had followed him and his future self to this underground location, rather something was following them on the orders of Dr. Harrison Wells, also known as Eobard Thawne.

'_Flash'_ Barry perked up and began to frantically look for the source of the voice.

"Hello? Is anyone there?"

'_Father's been looking for you Flash, he sent me to find you.'_

"Father? Who are you?" thunderous footsteps echoed through the empty chamber as something big approached Barry. He could barely make it out in the dim light but soon a massive shadow approached him and in the feint light he could make out the shape of a massive animal.

'_I am Grodd.'_

* * *

This is the end of the chapter

Please tell me what you liked, didn't like, look forward to/think will happen, or your general thoughts and comments, this'll help me make this story better; I'm a big boy so I can take criticism. And if you Review you get a Shout Out and questions answered either privately or in the next chapter.

**MORE REVIEWS = FASTER UPDATES**

Have a Fantastic day


	13. City of the Apes

**Disclaimer: **The following is a nonprofit Fan based story; The FLASH and all related characters are owned by DC comics, the CW and anyone I may have missed.

Special thanks to everyone who Favorited, Followed and Reviewed.

First I going to give a warm welcome to our new followers; **Killie159, NightStarRetaliation, kival737101, .3, kyubbiman564, **and **acquiringwriter**. All new followers are welcome.

Now for those who favorited; **RAD092515, NightStarRetaliation, kival737101, .3, **and** kyubbiman564**

And now the big one, all my lovely reviewers; **SodapopLover4524, Mr panda, changingdestiny40, Guest, Mason Marek, demonfox2140, jinx777, Flash frost, AReiss215, **and** Indigoblue32.** I love you all

Before I forget let me address you guests:

**Mr panda:** Well, like I've been saying Barry-2024 is an antagonist in this story so helping Barry isn't really what he's planning on doing. Also thanks for enjoying this story and complimenting my writing, it means a lot.

**Guest: **HA! Only one of you mysterious guests this time. Anyhoo, I think its freaking nuts that I come up with these ideas then they happen in the show some time later, like when Caitlin started making V9 in episode 8 and then evolving it through 13 and 14 I started thinking that Zoom would target her. We'll know in episode 18 if I'm right again.

**Indigoblue32: **I guess it's a good think Barry-2024 is getting on your nerves, means I am doing a good job of making him more antagonistic and less heroic. Don't worry at this story approaches the ending of season 1 things will start to be revealed.

So that's everyone and everything that needs to be taken care of now we can actually continue on with the story.

* * *

_The Flash: Rewriting History_

Chapter 13: City of the Apes

* * *

Cisco strolled absentmindedly into the Cortex a few days later. He was conflicted on what had happened that night. When he and Dr. Wells approached the cell it really seemed like Barry was in that cell, and then Barry actually showed up and the Barry in the cell turned out to be a Meta-human shapeshifter nicknamed Everyman, which Cisco admitted was an acceptable nickname, by Caitlin.

"So, what's on the menu for today Cisco?" the engineer turned around to see Barry walking out of the medical lab followed shortly by Caitlin.

"Today Mr. Allen, we are going to take it easy." Wells wheeled over to the group. "Not much is going on in the City so…"

Suddenly an alarm went off and Cisco immediately made his way over to the computer terminal. "Central City Gold Reserve is under attack!"

"The Gold Reserve?" Caitlin questioned. "I'm surprised that hasn't been hit sooner."

"Captain Singh wanted me and Joe on that case this morning." Barry said aloud. While he came off as calm and collected Barry could feel his rage and hate building. This was one of his biggest enemies finally rearing his ugly mug. "I'll get right on it." In a flash of yellow electricity Barry grabbed his suit, changed and headed off to the Gold Reserve to confront the beast.

* * *

Barry arrived at the Gold Reserve in record time and confronted the man attacking the Government Building.

"HEY! EILING!" Barry yelled out.

The man ignored him and began to shoot at Barry, but the speedster was far too fast as he was able to dodge all the bullets as he rushed and closed the distance.

Barry violently grabbed Eiling and ripped the mask off his face.

"I've got you Eiling." Barry seethed. "Where's Grodd?" he demanded but suddenly Barry felt dozens of images flow through his brain.

Barry tried to fight though it but they were overwhelming. Even when he tried to move his mind super-fast the images were overbearing.

Grodd's memories and feeling evolved into Barry's own as he watched one of his darkest memories began as one of the happiest days.

* * *

**August 13, 2023**

"So what do you two want to do today?" Barry asked Dawn and Don, as the family sat around the dining room table to eat breakfast.

Caitlin leaned against the counter slowly sipping a mug of coffee while wearing a large button down shirt that clearly was Barry's. She and Barry had been dating for several months now. At first Both Barry and Caitlin had been nervous about revealing their relationship to dawn and Don. They didn't want the kids thinking Caitlin was trying to replace Iris and thankfully that wasn't what they thought at all. In fact Dawn and Don absolutely adored Caitlin, or auntie Cait as she was known to them, after all she was the one who delivered them, gave them their checkups, and babysat them almost as much as Grandpa Joe.

"I wanna go shopping with Auntie Cait!" Dawn spoke with a mouthful of pancakes. "She promised we'd go get that dress I like!" Dawn turned to Caitlin and gave the doctor her best puppy dog eyes which Caitlin could not resist.

Caitlin smiled at the little girl. Despite not being related to her she definitely felt like she was Dawn's mother, granted Iris had spent far more time with them until she was murdered. Per Barry's request last month Caitlin had officially moved in with the Allen Family. Yes it was the Allen family; Barry just felt it wasn't right to call it the West-Allen family since Iris was gone.

"We can do that sweetie, infact why don't we all go?" Caitlin turned to Barry along with Dawn and they both gave Barry puppy-dog eyes and he instsantly caved

"Alright, Alright. Don what do you think? You want to go shopping?"

"No way!" Don shook his head adamantly. "Shopping's boring and they take forever." Barry chuckled before turning back to his girlfriend and his daughter.

"Uh, maybe you two should go Shopping while Don and I do something that's actually fun, like go to the arcade?" Don's face lit up like a Christmas tree.

"OH MY GOSH YES! I WANNA PLAY THE NEW JUSTICE LEAGUE GAME SO BAD!"

Barry and Caitlin smiled as the little boy began to run around at high speeds. Just like his sister Don had been born with super speed. Neither of the twins was as fast as their father nor their uncle or the older Jay Garrick.

"Alright calm down both of you and go get ready." Barry grabbed Don to get him to stop running before sending the twins off to get out of their pajamas.

"OK daddy." Don and Dawn then bolted up to their rooms leaving Barry and Caitlin alone in the kitchen.

As Caitlin placed her coffee mug in the sink she felt Barry take her hand "And you" He spun her around gracefully so that their faces were inches away from each other. "what do you say we finish what we started this morning?" he leaned in and kissed her lips before moving down her neck to her collar bone.

"Barry…do you think it's a good idea to do this in the kitchen? What about the kids?"

"I can easily move us up to our room if they start coming down the stairs." Barry's hands drifted down her sides to the hem of the shirt she was wearing and he began to fiddle with her panties before having his hands travel back up her body.

"DAD! WE'RE READY!" Barry and Caitlin broke apart before smiling brightly at each other. Caitlin made her way to head up stairs only for Barry to slap her ass as she skipped by him.

* * *

**Present Time**

When Barry came to Eiling was gone, though none of the gold was missing Barry was disappointed in himself for allowing the damn Ape and his puppet to escape. With a heavy sigh he ran back to S.T.A.R. Labs and when he arrived Caitlin demanded he go under an examination to try and figure out what was going on.

"You sure you're feeling alright Barry?" Caitlin asked as she flashed a light in his eyes to make sure the dilation of his eyes was normal. "You're eye movement is normal so there are no signs of neurological damage."

"You're sure you weren't whammied?" Cisco asked as he entered the medical bay. "You were unresponsive for the minute you made eye contact."

"I'm fine guys. When Rainbow Raider got me all I felt was anger, this time it was flashes of images and all I felt was an underlying sense of fear." Barry explained. Truth be told, Barry was also feeling his rage rise but he needed to keep it buried, last time he lashed out he hurt a lot of people.

"From what we saw on the security feed when you made eye contact something happened that made you both go loopy." Cisco said. "Maybe you were just fighting someone who was whammied."

"No, I don't think so." Barry said "Eiling acted like a zombie."

"Wait, Eiling, as in General Eiling the same guy who was after Bette, Ronnie and Professor Stein?" Caitlin asked suddenly worried for Barry's safety.

"Yeah, it was him, but like I said it was like he was a zombie." Barry stood up and put his jacket back on. "I'll run this by Joe, see if the police can holler about someone attacking gold reserves."

While Barry headed off to inform the police, or at least Joe about Eiling, Cisco was going over a few things that didn't make sense when Caitlin walked over to him.

"What's going on Cisco?" she asked the engineer. "You've been…off ever since the Everyman Incident."

"It's just when I initially approached the cell Barry, I mean Everyman, was very, well angry with Barry." Cisco turned to Caitlin. He was worried for her, but somethings weren't adding up and he needed to talk to someone about them. "He said he was a future version of himself here to save us all."

"That's ridiculous Cisco, we know that was Bates impersonating Barry to try and get us to release him. I don't know how things would have turned out if Barry hadn't arrived when he did."

"It's not just that, He also said to be careful of Dr. Wells. And when Wells spoke about a speed force as if he had experienced it himself, well let's just say that raised a few red flags."

"You can't possibly be thinking that Dr. Wells is hiding something can you?" Caitlin was uneasy at the idea that there was something more going on here aside from whatever the thing with Barry was.

"I don't know Caitlin, it's just everything seems funky especially now that I've been starting to have these dreams." Caitlin gave Cisco a strange look.

"Dreams?"

"Yeah, and the weird thing is Dr. Wells, he kills me."

At the same time The Gold reserve was attempting to divert a shipment of gold in order to draw out the thief so that Central City's finest could arrest him. Barry followed behind the truck from a safe distance to not draw attention to himself.

Barry watched as Eiling activated a landmine just as the truck drove over it. He raced over to the truck and grabbed Eiling before he could do anything.

"You like mind games Grodd? Because this is one game you won't win." More images of Grodd's torture flashed through Barry's mind but the speedster from 2024 just filtered them out with images from his own worst day.

* * *

**August 13 2023**

Barry, Caitlin and the Twins made their way to the Mall and almost immediately Dawn pulled Caitlin off to _Forever 21_ while Don pulled Barry towards the Arcade. They agreed to meet in the food court for Lunch and then catch a movie before heading home.

The budding family met up in the Food Court but before they could eat lunch things went to shit.

There was a thunderous boom as glass shattered and multiple explosions tore through the mall. Barry grabbed Caitlin, Dawn and Don and flashed them out of the mall.

They looked in horror as multiple buildings throughout Central City were on fire.

"Daddy…" Barry followed his daughter's gaze as she pointed to the sky where a massive blue breech was threatening hovering over the city expelling hundreds of large golden orbs.

"Oh my god…" Caitlin fearfully whispered as her hand covered her gaping mouth.

"CENTRAL CITY!" Barry and Caitlin both Froze when they heard that voice, but it wasn't echoing in their heads. This time it was loud and clear as if spoken from his lips.

They looked up at the large monitor that hung over the entrance to the Mall and were unsurprised to see one of their oldest enemies.

"I HAVE COME TO TAKE YOUR CITY! I AM GRODD! I AM KING! FEAR ME!" The ape roared on the screen while hoisting up a bloodied and beaten Jay Garrick.

* * *

**Present Time**

Barry dragged a now unconscious Eiling back to STAR Labs with a smug smirk on his face. Grodd wasn't talking to him through Eiling but he would talk to Caitlin. He was going to get that damn Ape's location if it was the last thing he'd do.

When Barry arrived in the Cortex expecting to find his friends what he found instead was far more disturbing. The Cortex was trashed and none of his team was around.

"CAITLIN! CISCO! ANYONE HERE?" Barry raced throughout the lab trying to find his two best friends, fortunately for him he found Cisco on the floor of his lab unconscious but alive. "CISCO!" Barry rushed over to his friend and helped him to his feet. "Are you OK?"

"Ow" Cisco rubbed his chin which looked like it was beginning to develop a bruise. "No, I'm not ok man. Caitlin punched me and then headed off somewhere."

"What!?" Why would Caitlin hit Cisco?

"It was weird man. One minute she's helping me out with this side project of mine then next thing I know she's standing still like a soldier and when I tried to talk to her she punched me and disappeared."

"Oh, no…" Barry whispered breathlessly. He tossed the unresponsive body of Eiling to Cisco. "Lock him up Cisco!"

"Where are you going?" But Barry ignored Cisco and raced to another part of the lab.

"Hello Barry." Eo-Wells didn't even turn around. He knew who was standing in the door way of his office. "I must say this is an unexpected surprise."

Barry flashed over and grabbed the paralyzed former speedster and hoisted him out of his chair, reverting to his real age as he did. "Where is Grodd?" Rage seeped through Barry's words as he threatened Wells.

"Are you threatening me Barry?" the older time traveler snickered. "Here's some advice; don't threaten someone with nothing left to lose."

"Tell. Me. Where. Grodd. Is." Barry's voice grew progressively louder until he was almost screaming in the doctor's face.

"Grodd must have really pissed you off by Taking Dr. Snow. Tell me, just what did he do to you in your original timeline?"

* * *

**August 13 2023**

"Cait, I need you to take Dawn and Don back to S.T.A.R. labs." Barry pleaded with his girlfriend.

"We aren't going anywhere without you Barry." She argued back.

"Cait, please, Grodd is here for me. I can't put you or the kids in harm's way." Barry took her hands in his. "I have to face him Cait." Before she could respond Barry kissed her passionately.

Breaking away from Caitlin Barry gave his kids a reassuring smile before taking off. He hit the button on his ring and from the cool metal his Flash suit emerged and within milliseconds Barry Allen transformed into the Flash and raced through Central City in a blur of sapphire-blue electricity.

"Come on kids." Caitlin took their hands and the three of them began to run towards Caitlin's car but just before they got there a golden sphere crashed down between them and the vehicle.

From the device three large Gorillas, roughly the same size as Grodd leaped out and blocked their path pointing spears at the woman and children.

"Dawn, Don, get behind me." Caitlin let go of their hands as fridge air collected around her hands. She hated using her powers. The more Caitlin used them the worse her condition got and the longer it took for her to return normal.

"ROAAAAAHH!" The Apes roared before moving to attack Caitlin.

* * *

Meanwhile Barry raced over to the Police Station to meet up with Joe, unfortunately his foster father wasn't there.

"…arry…" Static voices came over Barry's com system. At this point in his life there was only three people who had access to his coms, Caitlin, Joe and Wally. And since it was clearly a man's voice Barry could tell it was either Joe or Wally.

"Joe? Wally?"

"…t's…ally…" The speech was broken but Barry could tell it was wally at this point.

"Wally! Wally where are you!"

"…odd's…ere…arry…he's….t…spee…I…can'…tch…im…" Wally speech was too broken for Barry to make any sense of it. His only hope was that he was still ok and that Joe might be with him.

* * *

The City was in absolute chaos. Wally ran through the streets saving as many people as he could, but it seemed like for every person he saved two more would be either killed or captured by the Apes of Gorilla City. Somewhere in the confusion he had been separated from his dad, and that made him worried, his dad wasn't as young as he used to be and he never liked it when Grodd showed his ugly mug.

While he ran a yellow blue suddenly appeared next to him and before he could react it swiped it's hand across his chest, cutting his suit and drawing blood from beneath. The wound made wally skip a step and fall head over heels. He got back to his feet quickly to eye his attacker.

Standing before him was a woman roughly in her twenties with long brown hair, but that's where her human qualities ended. Her entire body was covered in yellow fur decorated with black and brown spots, her eyes were exactly like a cat's while her nails were claws and she made no effort to hide her tail beneath her scanty clothes.

"Hey cutie."

"Who the hell are you supposed to be?"

"I'm Cheetah." She closed the gap between them with ridiculous speed. "Now you'll tell me and my daddy where I can find my mommy, or I'm going to have to gut you." She swiped her claws at Wally again but this time the young speedster moved out of the way.

"Gut you it is."

"You gotta catch me first." Wally challenged before the two of them began a dangerous game of tag.

* * *

Meanwhile in the center of Central City, Grodd sat on a makeshift throne of rubble and steel. Flanking him on either side were two Gorillas One wore a French beret and had a large minigun strapped to his back along with a string of high caliber bullets slung across his chest. The other gorilla had pure white fur and an enlarged pulsing cranium.

To their right two large Gorillas held a bloodied Jay Garrick with their spears crossed over his chest.

"King Grodd your daughter has returned."

Grodd smirked as a gigantic woman walked over to the gorillas carrying a nearly dead Joe West. The Large ape smirked.

"I found one of the Flash's friends daddy." The giant woman smiled to herself as she dropped Joe to Grodd's feet. "He says he doesn't know where Mommy is."

Grodd stood up from his throne. "He'll talk." He jumped down and looked Joe in his terrified eyes. "Where's Caitlin?" Joe looked up at the gorilla too terrified to say anything. "_WHERE IS CAITLIN?" _This time Grodd roared in Joe's head as he began to tear into his mind to try and find where Dr. Snow was.

Images flashed through the gorilla's head. He saw everything Joe had seen. Blood trickled out of Joe's nose as Grodd dug deeper looking for Caitlin, until he found what he was looking for. Grodd looked at the memory and his anger boiled, in it he saw Caitlin kissing The Flash, his enemy, there were also two small people behind the Flash both smiling brightly.

With a roar of furry Grodd grabbed Joe and threw him head first into a broken slab of concrete. The old detective hit it and crumpled to the ground in an unmoving heap dead on the impact.

* * *

**Present Time**

"If anything happens to Caitlin I'm coming for you Thawne." Barry threatened as he let go of the time traveling physicist allowing the man to fall back down into his wheelchair.

"Oh, I'm willing to bet on that one Mr. Allen." After one last glare Barry left the man's office and returned to the Cortex. They needed to find Caitlin or so help him he's stain the city red with the blood of every other meta-human or ape.

* * *

Meanwhile somewhere in the old Central City Sewer Systems Caitlin was slowly coming to. It was so dark wherever she was that it took her a while for her eyes to adjust and even then she could hardly see.

"Hello?" She called out weakly hoping that whoever took her here was not actually here. "Is…is there anyone there?"

"Cait?" She heard her name being called back to her which was a surprise. But the bigger surprise was that it sounded like Barry.

"Barry? Barry is that you? Where are you?"

"Yeah, its me Cait. I'm over here." Caitlin turned towards the direction of his voice and made her way over to what sounded like Barry slowly. She found him and felt his face with her hands and sure enough it was Barry. She also felt his arms raised over his head and she felt that they were cuffed around an old metal pole.

"Oh my god…Barry what's going on? Why are we here? Who brought us here?"

Despite the darkness around them Barry gave her a reassuring smile she could barely see. "I don't know Caitlin, I've honestly had a pretty crappy last few weeks and I'm just glad someone-"

There was a loud noise and the two members of Team Flash turned towards it. It was a large hulking furry shape.

"_Caitlin" _The young bio-engineer heard her name echoing in her head.

"Who's there?" She called back

"Caitlin, get behind me." Barry warned. Even though he was bound to an old metal pipe he still attempted to struggle and try and get free so he could protect Caitlin. "It's some kind of meta-gorilla. His name's-"

"_Grodd."_ The great ape finished as he stepped out of the darker shadows. Caitlin was completely surprised to see Grodd here. Last time she saw the gorilla was the Day the Particle Accelerator exploded. She had gone down to check on him as per her usual routine but when she did the following day his cage had been torn open and Grodd was missing.

"Grodd? Is that you?" The ape nodded. Barry just watched the exchange between Caitlin and Grodd. It was like he was watching a real live version of _King Kong_ only with a much smaller telepathic gorilla.

"_Caitlin always kind to Grodd."_

"Why did you bring me here?"

"_Need Help."_

"Help with what? I don't understand. Why is Barry tied up?"

"_Father asked me to follow Bad Flash. Grodd found good Flash. Now Grodd need Caitlin's help to make Flash faster."_

"Father? Dr. Wells asked you to do this?"

"_Yes. Good Flash not fast enough to fight Bad Flash. Only Caitlin can make him faster."_

Caitlin turned back towards Barry trying to figure out just what the heck was going on. Wells had Grodd abduct her and Barry so she could make Barry faster than the Reverse-Flash? Why? Barry seemed plenty fast a few days ago when he saved her from Everyman. "Bad Flash? Barry, what's he talking about? Is he talking about the Reverse-Flash?"

"No," Barry said simply. "He's talking about the dick me from the future that locked me up."

"What?" The bio-engineer asked shocked. Just what the hell was going on? Was the Barry in front of her not the one she was talking to this morning? "What do you mean Barry? I was just talking to you this morning."

"That wasn't me Caitlin. That was the psychotic future version of me. He's been impersonating me for the last few weeks." Everything suddenly made sense for Caitlin; Barry's change in demeanor, telling Iris he was the Flash, Joe and Dr. Wells' suspicion, Barry killing the Trickster and his almost scary craving to be close to her. Caitlin could feel the tears beginning to form in her eyes. Everything she thought she and Barry were sharing was untrue. "Cait? Cait are you crying?"

She wiped away her tears to try and cover them up. "No, I'm not crying."

"_Enough talk! Make Flash faster Cait_!" Both Barry and Caitlin turned to the telepathic ape.

"I…I don't know how…" Caitlin shared a short glance with Barry before turning to the ape.

Grodd leaned down into Caitlin's face. She could feel his breath all over her. "_Then learn_."

* * *

This is the end of the chapter. It was going to be longer but I decided to cut it in half because its so big and it gives everyone a chance to absorb what they've just read.

Please tell me what you liked, didn't like, look forward to/think will happen, or your general thoughts and comments, this'll help me make this story better; I'm a big boy so I can take criticism. And if you Review you get a Shout Out and questions answered either privately or in the next chapter.

**MORE REVIEWS MEAN I WILL TRY TO UPDATE FASTER**

Have a Fantastic day


	14. Gore-illa Warfare

**Disclaimer: **The following is a nonprofit Fan based story; The FLASH and all related characters are owned by DC comics, the CW and anyone I may have missed.

Again special thanks to everyone who Favorited, Followed and Reviewed.

Favoriters (is that even a word?) you guys are awesome and we've got to welcome the newcomers **feiri, TheReaklessRobot, robby78905, popie92, Panic at the Computer Screen, Littlered951, vampirehunter955, jk-jklol, **and **Isaboo26**

Only two new followers this time **TheReaklessRobot** and **robby78905** either way welcome aboard for the adventure.

And finalmente the reviewers,** AReiss215, changingdestiny40, demonfox2140, Flash frost, popie92, SodapopLover4524,** and **Indigoblue32**

**Indigoblue32:** You were the only guest reviewer this time, makes it easier for me. Anyhoo, I'm glad you like the choices I've made and that you are anxious to see what happens next.

Thank you all for you continued and growing support.

OK, before we continue can I just say Holy Shit! Episode 2x18 left me as an emotional wreak. On one hand I was happy that I called it that Zoom was going to abduct Caitlin but at the same time I'm pissed off that Barry no longer has his speed and Jay Garrick seems like he never existed. New Theory! Man in Iron Mask is real Earth-2 Jay Garrick! Calling it now! I just hope that Caitlin is able to get herself, Killer Frost and the man in the Iron mask out of Zoom's layer but if not then I hope it's Barry that saves her! God too many things are running through my head! I just can't deal with it!

Well either way here's chapter 14 of Rewriting History, enjoy.

* * *

_The Flash: Rewriting History_

Chapter 14: Gore-illa Warfare

* * *

Grodd led Caitlin and Barry through the sewers to his makeshift lab that his father helped him build a month ago, just after they abducted General Eiling. Caitlin had Barry's arm slung over her shoulder as she guided him behind the gorilla. "…How are you holding up Barry…?" she whispered to the speedster.

"…Well, after spending about three weeks in a four by four cell these sewers are a nice change of pace…" Barry gave her a reassuring smile despite their situation. "…Though I think we could do without the five hundred pound telepathic gorilla, and the smell…"

Grodd looked over his shoulder. His father had told him many things about the Flash, the demon that stole his speed and paralyzed him. The Flash may be his enemy but if Father said he had to trust him then he would, plus Caitlin was probably more comfortable with the Flash than with

"_We are here."_ Barry and Caitlin looked ahead to see a dimly lit laboratory. A few lights, a microscope, a computer, chemical compounds, a clear board and a bunch of other scientific equipment. Both Barry and Caitlin looked at Grodd's lab in awe. For a telepathic gorilla living in the sewers this was actually a nice set up. "_Now make Flash faster Caitlin_."

"I…I already told you Grodd, I don't know how to do that…"

"_Father said only Caitlin can make Flash faster with right motivation."_ Grodd turned to Barry and attacked his mind forcing Barry to go as ridged as a soldier at attention. 'Barry' then walked over to a table covered in medical equipment and grabbed a scalpel.

"Barry! No!" Caitlin cried out as she attempted to stop the Grodd controlled Barry but he wrestled his arm free and sliced his left arm deeply from wrist to elbow. Blood began to pour out like a sickly red waterfall and Caitlin immediately went to work on trying to stop the bleeding while Grodd released his control of Barry.

As soon as he did Barry felt immense pain in his left arm and he started to scream in pain. Caitlin tore off Barry's sleeve and used it as make shift bandages to try and stop the severe bleeding.

"How could you do that?" Caitlin scolded the Ape. "Are you trying to kill him?"

"_Fix him then make him faster!"_ Grodd challenged back uncaring about how he almost made Barry bleed to death. "_Or I keep hurting Flash until you do!"_

* * *

Meanwhile back up in STAR Labs Barry-2024 was pacing angrily. Why the hell would Grodd take Caitlin? It was far too early for him to be intelligent enough to try and make more of himself, plus they had no way to send him to Earth-2, not that Barry wanted to. If Barry ever found that gorilla he'd kill him, and then go back in time to kill him again and again and again.

"Hey Barry, are you alright?" Barry looked over his shoulder to see Iris approaching him.

"I'm fine Iris," Barry insisted that he was OK but his best friend and first wife (from his original time line) could see right through him.

"No you're not Bar." Iris placed a hand on his shoulder the same way she always did when he was bummed. "I can tell you're worried about Caitlin. You don't have to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders Barry, there's no way you could have known this was going to happen."

"…You have no idea…" Barry muttered under his breath. Initially he had assumed the events with Grodd would play out exactly the same as they did for their very first encounter, but something's changed.

* * *

**August 13 2023**

Barry raced through Central City saving more lives and hunting Grodd but it was proving to be impossible. He couldn't find Joe or Wally and he was starting to get very very worried for his family.

"Caitlin! Are you and the kids at STAR Labs yet?" Barry called into his coms wanting to make sure his girlfriend and children were safe.

"_We ran into some trouble but we're almost there."_

"Is either Joe or Wally with you?"

"_No, we haven't even seen them."_

"Ok, Caitlin, please keep Dawn and Don safe."

"_I promise Barry."_

* * *

At the same time Wally was on the ground clutching his stomach. Cheetah was just as fast as him and she managed to leave several large lacerations all over his body, the last one being across his stomach and Wally felt like he needed to hold his guts in otherwise they might just spill out.

"Oh come on Kid Flash." Cheetah enjoyed playing with her prey. "You can't be done this early in the game."

"I'm not done yet you spotted bitch…" Wally pushed himself only for cheetah to stab his shoulder with her claws.

"Yeah, well let's see what my daddy has to say about your rude mouth." And in a flash of yellow Cheetah and Kid Flash were gone, heading off to Grodd's throne.

* * *

Caitlin led Dawn and Don through the war torn streets of Central City trying to get them to STAR Labs In their wake was a platoon of frozen apes. After using her powers such much Caitlin began to undergo the changes that accompanied her powers. He hair was turning platinum blond, her irises and lips were sapphire blue, and her skin was noticeably paler.

Initially the Tornado Twins were weary of Caitlin whenever she changed because they thought she was a different person but both Barry and Iris had been able to convince them that even though she looked different she was still Caitlin.

"Dawn! Don! Stay close to me!"

"Come one Don!" The little girl took her brother's hand pulling him closely behind their father's girlfriend.

"CAITLIN!" Before the trio could progress any farther Grodd landed in front of them, crimson electricity arcing all over his body beneath the golden armor he wore on his head, shoulders, knees arms and stomach. The most shocking alteration was the lightning bolt painted on his chest with blood.

"Grodd…" Caitlin whispered to herself as she stood between the ape and the children. Last time they were confronted with Grodd he was trying to abduct Caitlin.

Grodd looked past Caitlin towards the two kids behind her and a sneer crossed his face. "You leave me for Flash?" His rage grew at the thought of the one human he liked working with the man who killed his father. "THEN I WILL TAKE YOU FROM HIM!"

* * *

**Present Time**

"Just try not to carry everything by yourself Barry." Iris let go of her best friend's shoulder and began to turn away. As she did Barry took his time in absorbing every detail about her and the children they had and may never have again.

He truly was in love with Iris his whole life, hell part of him was still in love with her, that's just the way things usually go with your first love but after being forced to move on Barry knows that his heart was also beating for Dr. Snow the whole time and he was terribly worried about her.

She had been through more crap in two years than most people go through in their entire lives. Hell, only Barry seemed to go through an equal amount of shit and if it weren't for either of them there'd be no telling how far they would have fallen.

"Iris" iris stopped and turned back to Barry who gave her a soft smile. "Thank you, I needed to hear that."

"You're welcome Barry, just let me know if you need my help."

"Actually, what do you know about a giant gorilla running around the city."

* * *

Cisco sat in his lab staring at the pair of glasses he had designed alongside Caitlin before Grodd took a hold of her mind. The engineer could not believe that S.T.A.R. Labs resident ape that vanished when the particle accelerator went boom would kidnap Caitlin. She had always been so kind to him in an Ann Darrow- King Kong kind of way.

He was so lost in thought he barely heard his mentor wheel into his lab. "Cisco," Cisco turned to see Dr. Wells in the entryway to his lab. "We need you up in the Cortex."

"Alright, I'll uh…I'll be up in a minute." The engineer began to fiddle with several of his devices until Wells left. Once he was sure the paraplegic physicist was out of ear and eye shot. Cisco picked up the glasses.

They were still in the rudimentary stages but the idea was that (as Caitlin hypothesized) they would allow him to consciously revisit the dreams that had been plaguing him for a while now, specifically the ones where he saw Dr. Wells walking and shoving a vibrating hand into his heart.

"Next time baby." Cisco placed the lenses back on his bench before heading up to the cortex.

He walked into the Cortex and strolled over to stand next to Joe and Eddie. "So any leads on our two ton meta-gorilla?"

"There have been several reports through blogs and some amateur video of a gorilla down in the sewers of Central City." Iris replied.

"And in the abandoned subway routes" Barry added on.

"Right and how are we supposed to track a giant gorilla through twenty miles of sewers and abandoned railways?" Eddie asked. He had had quite the crazy last few days, first he was told Barry is the Flash, then there was that shapeshifter, and now there was a giant telepathic gorilla wandering the underground of Central City.

"We go down and hunt him ourselves." Barry replied seriously. Cisco noticed the look Wells was giving Barry, it wasn't a happy one, especially considering the bond Wells and Grodd had when he was a simple lab gorilla.

* * *

Two hours later Barry, Cisco and Joe were making their way through the underground of Central City looking for the two ton gorilla. Both Joe and Barry were armed with guns while Cisco was using a scanner to locate Grodd.

"I can't believe I'm down here looking for a super intelligent Gorilla." Joe whispered. "Even regular gorillas terrify me."

"What was that?" Cisco and Joe whirled around when they heard what sounded like the clanging of metal.

"Probably nothing." Barry remained dead set on locating Grodd blocking out everything except how he was going to kill the damned ape.

They continued down the dark paths until they came upon a larger chamber with the word Grodd scratched all over the walls.

"Oh man…" Cisco whispered as he approached one of the walls. "This is incredible."

"We're in the right place, Grodd must be close."

"What exactly is all this?" Joe asked still being mindful of his surroundings.

"It's Grodd, he's evolving, getting smarter." A low thud and growl was heard and all three men turned towards the source. "And if my guess is correct he's bigger to."

"If I never saw Jurassic Park I wouldn't be nearly as frightened as I am now." Cisco moved so he was standing behind both Barry and Joe who were pointing their guns at the darkness.

Grodd roared as he emerged from the shadows. With a swipe of his powerful arms he threw both Barry and Joe to opposite walls. At the same time a flood of images assaulted Cisco's mind making the engineer grip his head in pain.

Barry rubbed his head feeling a small amount of blood on the back of his neck. Rage began to cloud him and he launched himself at Grodd wrapping his arms around the gorilla's neck.

* * *

**August 13 2023**

The Flash clad in his blue armored suit skidded to a halt before Grodd's throne he would never forget what he saw there. He saw Joe's dead body crumpled up on the ground, next to him was the dead body of Jay Garrick.

"NO!" Barry rushed over to the bodies of his foster father and one of his mentors.

The two apes in front of him, The Ultra-humanite and Monsieur Mallah, readied their weapons and aimed their guns at Barry.

Blue lightning flashed in Barry's eyes and all over his body. He rushed the two apes and in a fit of rage he began to beat them down viciously before shoving a vibrating hand through their chests.

The Apes roared in pain as their hearts were ruptured and they were killed instantly. He breathed heavily in anger as he turned from the dead apes to his now deceased loved ones. "I'm so sorry Joe, Jay…I failed you…"

"WHAT THE HELL?" Barry looked up again to see Cheetah standing in front of him holding a severely lacerated Wally.

"WALLY!" Barry ran over and grabbed Cheetah throwing her off Wally. "Wally? Wally, stay with me! Stay with me!" He gently slapped Wally's cheek to try and wake him up but he was as unresponsive as Jay and Joe were. Realizing just how hopeless the situation was Barry could control himself as he began to wail into his brother's chest.

"Oh, is the Flash sad I hurt his little friend?"

"...I'll kill you..." three words trickled out of Barry's mouth but they were barely audible

"What was that?"

Barry looked at her angrily. His lightning flashed in his eyes and covered his skin making him look like a being made of electricity. "I'LL KILL YOU BITCH!" Before Cheetah could even react Barry shoved his hand through her chest, he kept it vibrating leaving the cheetah woman in excruciating pain. "I don't care if you're Caitlin's daughter. You're a monster."

Cheetah's eyes widened in fear as her life flashed before her eyes. Grodd created her and her sister, Giganta, by adding Caitlin's DNA to his dying gorilla daughters, he had used Earth-1 Caitlin and Earth-2 Caitlin in this experiment. The Caitlins' DNA had saved their lives but in a freak chance that normally would never happen both Gorillas grew and lost all their hair save the fur on the tops of their heads. Despite looking like humans they were still technically gorillas and Grodd din't hate them any less. Instead he tried to infuse them with the Speed Force by utalizing his own Particle Accelerator. The Even triggered their latent Meta-Human genes which reacted with Caitlins' Genes resulting in further mutations. Cheetah gained super speed along with being changed into a cheetah woman while her little sister (ironically) got size alteration abilities so she could grow to the size of a ten story building.

"Die." Barry stopped vibrating his hand and Cheetah's heart ruptured instantly. Her life slipped away in less than one second.

"CHEETAH!" Barry looked over his shoulder to see Giganta towering over Grodd's Throne. "YOU BASTARD!" The giant girl threw a large punch at Barry.

Barry watched it come his way in slow motion. To match her Barry concentrated on his muscles and used the Speed Force to accelerate their growth until he grew from 6'2" to 7'2" and his muscles grew making him extremely muscular. Barry used his speed to blitz around her, up her arm and delivered a powerful Super Sonic Punch to her Jaw with enough Force to snap her neck from the force. The poor giant girl fell to the ground with a mighty crash while Barry's muscles returned to their normal size.

Barry looked around him at all the dead bodies. He thought about everyone who lost their lives today, Joe, Jay, Wally hundreds of others scatted throughout the city he'd be damned if anything happened to Caitlin or his kids. He was going to end this here and now. He was going to kill Grodd, but to do that he needed something to end the Ape's life as he was now was too powerful for a simple hand through the chest.

* * *

**Present Time**

Grodd grabbed Barry from his back and slammed him into the ground. "_FLASH!"_ The ape roared in Barry's mind as stomped a foot down on Barry's chest to try and drown him in the five inches of water at their feet.

Several shots rang out and Grodd roared in annoyance as several of Joe's tranquilizer darts pierced through the Gorilla's hide pissing him off instead of knocking him out.

Iris, Eddie and Wells all were in the cortex trying to figure out what was going on, well Eobard Thawne at least had an idea from the sound over the coms.

"BARRY! DAD!" Iris screamed into the microphone hoping that they would hear her and get out of there.

There was a rush of wind as Barry reentered the lab with a bruised Cisco. Barry himself definitely had seen much better days.

"Barry!" Both Iris and Eddie rushed over to catch him and Cisco as the scarlet speedster began to collapse.

"I…I'm sorry Iris…he…he got Joe…"

As Barry and Cisco were carried off to the med bay Wells watched the events unfold before contacting his lab ape. '_Grodd!'_

"_Father"_

'_Where are you? What happened?'_

"_Bad Flash attacked me. De-tec-tive shot Grodd."_

_'Do you have Detective West with you now?'_ Thawne thought to the Ape while he watched his ancestor and Ms. West usher Barry-2024 and Cisco into the medical bay. Without Dr. Snow it would be difficult for them to ascertain how much damage had been done to the two physically and mentally.

_"Yes…"_

_'Good. Hold on to him. Detective West will make excellent leverage if Dr. Snow refuses to administer the Velocity Drug to Barry.' _Wells smiled to himself as more pieces in his little chess game with Barry-2024 began to take effect. '_Oh, and don't hurt Dr. Snow or our Barry too much Grodd we still need them.'_

* * *

Back underground Caitlin and Barry were hunched over Grodd's computer trying to figure out how to improve Barry's speed. While it would make sense for them to run Barry had a strange cuff on his left wrist which suppressed Barry's powers in the same way the cells in the pipeline suppressed meta-human powers and they had no viable way to remove the cuff and make their escape, besides they had no idea how to navigate the underground Labyrinth that was the Central City Sewer System.

"Grodd mentioned his 'father' any idea what he was talking about?" Barry asked Caitlin suddenly drawing her attention away from the computer.

"I'm guessing Grodd's father is Dr. Wells, back when Grodd was at S.T.A.R. Labs he and Dr. Wells shared a special bond. Why?"

Barry felt his rage begin to grow. Wells was behind this gorilla abducting both him and Caitlin. He was up to something back at S.T.A.R. and it involved Mark Mardon. Suddenly the idea that Wells, despite actually being paralyzed, was in fact the man in the yellow suit crept back into Barry's mind. Dealing with the Reverse-Flash on top of his future self was going to be quite the challenge.

"Barry?" Barry turned to the doctor "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, but…I think Wells may be up to something. When Future me had me locked up I…I saw Wells talking with Mardon I couldn't hear what he was saying but I have a bad feeling he's up to something."

"If Dr. Wells is the Reverse-Flash then why does he want you to get faster?"

Barry just shook his head. "I don't know. I imagine it has to do with Future Me running around."

"Just what is Wells having you working on?" Barry asked curious how Caitlin was supposed to make him faster.

"I don't even know what this is supposed to be." Caitlin showed him the chemical compound Grodd and by extension Wells wanted her to make.

"What is it some kind of speed drug?" the Flash asked.

"From what I can tell, but it hardly lasts It breaks down far too quickly."

"But it will make me faster. Sort of like a nitro boost."

"Yes, and I think I figured out why the formula Wells and Grodd gave us hasn't been working." Caitlin pulled up all of Barry's medical stats and showed them to the speedster. "When you run you consume an enormous amount of energy"

"Hence why I eat so much before and after running hard"

"And oxygen" Caitlin continued as if Barry hadn't said anything. "So what you would need is a boost of oxygen"

"Thereby providing me with enough energy to run faster and longer"

"And all we would need to add to this is a chemical compound rich in oxygen and releases it as a nearly pure gas as it decomposes like"

"Sodium Chlorate" Barry and Caitlin finished at the same time. With a smile Barry watched as Caitlin added the chemical into the simulation creating much more stable, and apparently potent, version of the speed Drug.

"Awesome Cait" Barry placed a hand on her shoulder. "Now all we need is to come up with a name for this speed drug."

"Well, it's designed to increase your velocity and this is an improved version of the original so how about Velocity-2?"

"Velocity-2…I kind of like it." Barry smiled. "How long until I can use this?"

"It may take a while to synthesize and I want to run some test to make sure there are no side effects before you take it, especially if Dr. Wells has some ulterior motive behind this." Caitlin spoke while thinking of Barry's words about Wells.

"Tell me what you need me to do Dr. Snow."

* * *

Cisco sat at his work bench alongside Dr. Wells working on a device to protect Barry from Grodd's mind control capabilities.

"This, this should protect Barry from Grodd." Wells said aloud as he held up the finished device.

"And we're sure this'll protect Barry from Grodd?" Cisco asked absentmindedly.

"I'm fully confident this will block out Grodd." Wells took the device in his hands and began to make his way back to the Cortex leaving Cisco alone in his lab.

Cisco picked up the glasses and studied them debating whether or not to put them on. Without anything to put him right to sleep they were fairly useless unless he were to drug himself, but there were still two people upstairs he did not fully trust anymore; Wells and Barry.

"Well, down the rabbit hole we go." Cisco laced the goggles over his eyes and grabbed a bottle of sleeping pills. Almost as soon as he took the pills the world around him changed.

* * *

_Everything turned a shade of faded blue and whatever was not in focus flickered as if not there. He was still in STAR Labs but he couldn't tell where he was._

"_Whoa… this is so trippy." The world flickered around him_

"_Some would say I'm the reverse" Cisco turned around to see Dr. Wells standing in the doorway to the basement, the place in his dreams, the location of the trap they had set for the Reverse-Flash._

_Cisco watched as Wells slowly approached him clapping. "You're incredibly clever Cisco, I've always said so."_

"_You're him. You're the Reverse-Flash."_

_Wells smiled and began to continue to speak but no words came out of his mouth. The world flickered and suddenly standing before Cisco was a tall man decked out in blue armor with sapphire blue-white lightning. Cisco watched him walk right by him towards a hospital bed, perhaps the one sitting in the med bay upstairs._

_Cisco watched the speedster remove his mask revealing Barry, only he looked much older than Barry, even some of his hair was gray around the ears._

_"I am so sorry Caitlin…" Caitlin was in that bed? Cisco focused in on the bed and could see Caitlin and she look different from now; her skin was paler, her hair was platinum blond and her lips were blue. "When you wake up, I won't be here. When I'm done, I swear everything will be all right." And with those words he vanished in a blue flash._

_Again the scenery changed and Cisco saw himself in a sewer and to his surprise he saw Barry and Caitlin, ones that looked much younger than the ones he just saw._

_They looked to be deep in conversation almost as if the world around them did not matter. He watched as they leaned in until their lips were touching and they were kissing each other with growing passion._

_The scene flickered violently before hundreds of images and sounds flooded through his mind at ridiculous speeds._

_He saw S.T.A.R. Labs, some kind of giant blue hole in the sky, Central City burning, same city frozen, he saw everyone, and then he saw most of them dead._

"_GRODD!"_

"**_Never forget I am the fastest man alive_**_!"_

"_My name is Jay Garrick and you world is in danger."_

"_CAITLIN!"_

"_NO!"_

"_I'm your son."_

"_BARRY!"_

"_JOE!"_

"**_I'm here to kill you both, for what you did to me! YOU ABANDONED ME!" _**

"_DAD!"_

"_IRIS!"_

"_You are more powerful than you know, you could be a god."_

"_I'm Killer Frost!"_

_Cisco's brain throbbed and the young engineer clutched his head in pain. The world around him shifted between what seemed to be hundreds of scenes. He saw things he couldn't understand._

"_You've been dead for centuries." Cisco turned around only for Dr. Wells to ram a vibrating hand through his chest like Mola Ram and his Kali Mah scene._

"_AAAAAHHHHH!"_

* * *

"CISCO!" Barry yelled as he entered the lab to see his friend convulsing uncontrollably on the floor. He rushed to his friend's side and tried to hold him still. That was when he noticed the goggles on Cisco's eyes. Cisco was vibeing, and violently at that.

"SOMEBODY! HELP!" Barry cried out hoping someone could hear him.

He took the goggles off his friend's face exposing Cisco's unresponsive eyes to the world. He looked down at the goggles in his hand. Barry began to shake with rage. He clutched the vibe goggles tightly until they began crack and fall apart.

If Cisco made these now that means he was beginning to develop his powers. And if he was, then there was a chance Cisco could stumble on Barry's true identity or even Wells' identity.

"Barry? What's…Oh my god…" Iris covered her mouth as she and Eddie entered into the lab only to see Barry holding a convulsing Cisco.

"Quickly! Get him up to the medical bay!" Iris and Eddie helped Barry pick up Cisco and move him up into Caitlin's lab.

"Hold him still!" Wells ordered as he wheeled in to the lab, grabbing a syringe from the cabinet of medical supplies. Wells prepped it and filled it with one of the drugs before jamming it into Cisco's leg.

Everyone watched with bated breaths as Cisco slowly stopped shaking before going completely still, only the steady rise and fall of his chest indicated he was still among the living.

"Is he going to be OK?" Eddie asked.

"I hope so" Barry placed a hand on Cisco's shoulder hoping that his friend would wake up soon. "If anyone can track down Grodd and find Caitlin and Joe its Cisco." However Barry was unaware of what his touch was doing to Cisco, it was triggering a vibe.

* * *

_Cisco looked around him to see Central City burning. Large gorillas clad in armor wielding spears were running around rounding up civilians and corralling them to the football stadium._

_The scene shifted and he saw Platinum-Caitlin, the version of Caitlin that had platinum blond hair, standing between what looked like Grodd and two young children._

_The kids were running around with what looked like tornadoes around their legs but Grodd was keeping pace with them coated in crimson electricity but every time he got close enough to touch them Caitlin would form ice near his feet or she would send icicles flying through the air towards the ape._

_Their scuffle lasted for a few minutes before Grodd roared angrily and assaulted Caitlin and the kids with his mind control abilities._

_Cisco watched in horror as Platinum-Caitlin went rigid before turning towards the kids who were still being attacked mentally by Grodd. Caitlin formed icicles in her hands and launched them at the two kids piercing them through their ankles._

_Try as he might Cisco couldn't tear his gaze away as Caitlin stalked towards the helpless children forming mass amounts of cold air around her hand_

"_Please auntie Cait…don't…"_

"_Snap out of it…please…" The children were pleading with Caitlin to be free of Grodd but it was clear they weren't getting through to her._

"_Fight that stupid monkey auntie Cait!"_

_Caitlin remained silent and emotionless as she blasted them with a massive wave of ice and snow encasing the poor kids from the neck down in a sub-zero blanket. The kids cried out in pain as they felt frostbite burn their skin._

_Cisco looked on transfixed at the unfolding events. It pained him to see these things happening. Caitlin had powers and she was being forced to use them to kill two kids who were close enough to her to call her Auntie. Platinum-Caitlin approached the boy first and gave him a wicked looking smile before she kissed him. Frost crept over the boy's face and he stopped moving as he turned into an ice sculpture. When she was done Caitlin turned to the crying little girl and kissed her as well, turning her into an ice sculpture just like her brother. The curious thing was that Caitlin's hair was now its normal brunette with only a single long lock of her hair remaining blond._

_Grodd then approached Caitlin and released her from his control. Cisco watched as Caitlin's eyes widen and she collapsed to her knees at the base of the ice versions of the children._

_Moments later there was a flash of blue electricity and standing next to Caitlin was the older Barry._

_He was frozen in shock before he collapsed to his knees next to Caitlin. Caitlin moved to place a hand on Barry's shoulder, but the Flash shied away._

_Grodd roared out loud with laughter at their grief and Cisco watched Barry do something very uncharacteristic of the scarlet speedster he knew, he rushed towards Grodd and the two of them turned into blurs of Blue-white, and Red-Black._

_Caitlin looked just as transfixed as Cisco was as she and the ice sculptures were surrounded in a tornado of red and blue. Caitlin looked like she was trying her hardest to regain her composure to help Barry._

_Just as before the fight lasted mere moments until Grodd formed dozens of crimson lightning bolts in his hands and cast them towards Caitlin and the frozen children. Barry moved quickly grabbing and throwing each lightning bolt back at Grodd but one got past the cobalt speedster._

_It turned out that Grodd used a jagged piece of metal underneath all the electricity and when it got past Barry it pierced Caitlin through her lower left side._

"_CAITLIN!" Barry screamed in rage as he caught her as she fell. Caitlin looked up into Barry's eyes and began to choke on her own blood as she struggled to say something. "Don't speak Cait, I'll end this now. Then I'll save you and the twins."_

"_HA! YOU THINK YOU CAN BEST ME FLASH? LOOK AROUND YOU! THIS IS MY CITY NOW!"_

"_This is a fight to the death Grodd, your death." Barry charged Grodd in a bolt of white lightning._

_Red and blue lightning flashed, thunder boomed as Flash fought Grodd throughout Central City. Try as he might Grodd could not land a blow upon the Flash, each step made the speedster faster as his rage grew._

_Even though he was standing absolutely still Cisco's visions were showing him everything as he watched Barry land hard blows on Grodd in places that would definitely kill any man or gorilla should they not be infused with the Speed Force. Their vicious fight continued and Cisco watched as Grodd suddenly stopped his assault and clutched his head in pain._

"_You feel that Grodd?"_

"_What did you do Flash?"_

"_I planted two micro bombs in your ears." Cisco's eyes widened in shock. "The same kind of bomb Argus used to use to keep Task Force X in check. As Fast, Strong and smart as you are Grodd, you're still a stupid monkey."_

_Grodd frantically clawed at his ears trying to get the beeping bombs out of them._

"_A stupid monkey with fat gorilla fingers"_

**_KA-BOOOM_**_ the bombs went off and Grodd's head was gone in a fiery explosion._

_Cisco watched horrified as Barry stood over Grodd's smoldering corpse. He didn't look human anymore, he looked like a demon._

_Barry seemed to send Cisco a look and snapped the engineer out of his vision._

* * *

Cisco shot up from the bed looking terrified and exhausted. Everyone was taken back Cisco had shot up almost as soon as Barry placed his hand on the young man's shoulder.

"Cisco are you OK?" Iris asked as Cisco's shaking slowed down and he took in his surroundings but he froze when he saw Wells and his eyes widened reflexively.

"Wha…what happened?" Everyone exchanged looks before all eyes fell on Cisco. Only Dr. Wells seemed unsurprised at Cisco's reaction.

"I think I speak for everyone when I say, we _all_ would like to know what happened, Cisco. Why did you consume a dangerous amount of sleeping pills?"

"I…I think I know where Grodd is…" Cisco blurted out trying to distract everyone from the fact he almost just killed himself.

"Well then, tell us Cisco." Wells leaned forward interested in what his surrogate son was up to.

* * *

Once more in the sewers of Central City, Grodd slowly made strides back to his underground lab dragging an unconscious Detective West behind him. When he attacked the Bad-Flash, the detective and Cisco the Bad-Flash had shot him with a real gun half a dozen times. Grodd could feel the bullet wounds oozing out red liquid in half a dozen locations. If Caitlin wasn't back at his underground lab Grodd would actually be worried that he would bleed out to death.

Taking the detective with him will definitely provide both Flash and Caitlin with a proper incentive to do as his father wants. He slowly walked into the lab

"_Cait-lin_…" Caitlin and Barry turned to see Grodd reenter the lab, blood dripping from his arms, chest and stomach. But what shocked them even more was the bloodied unconscious Joe being held roughly by the collar of his jacket.

"JOE!" Barry yelled out but before he could make a move Grodd assaulted him with mind attacks before turning to Caitlin.

"_Help_…" Caitlin watched as the Gorilla fell forward due to his blood loss.

* * *

So next chapter will be the end of the _Grodd Lives_ episode interpretation, I know I know you all are on the edges of your seats in anticipation.

Please tell me what you liked, didn't like, look forward to/think will happen, or your general thoughts and comments, this'll help me make this story better; I'm a big boy so I can take criticism. And if you Review you get a Shout Out and questions answered either privately or in the next chapter.

**MORE REVIEWS MEAN I WILL TRY TO UPDATE FASTER**

Have a Fantastic day


	15. Velocity 2

**Disclaimer: **The following is a nonprofit Fan based story; The FLASH and all related characters are owned by DC comics, the CW and anyone I may have missed.

As Always special shout outs to Favorites, Followers and Reviews;

Favorites: **devon. conway.16, **only one of you bastards but still a welcome addition indeed.

Follows: **katerinavenaki, theaxlexofevil, devon. conway.16, maor14600, IronLad** and **ArTeMuS09 **Welcome aboard, one can never be too late for this party.

Reviews: **Mr panda, changingdestiny40, AReiss215, Immortalman18, demonfox2140, Flash Frost, Guest (1), SodapopLover4524, Wildjay1585, Guest(2)** and **Brokenshadow1107** you are all wonderful people

Before I forget, let's address the guests that I wasn't able to privately discuss with any of you

**Mr panda: **It's totally fine that you weren't unable to review last chapter, one's health is far more important and I hold nothing against you. With regard to Barry learning what Cisco knows you need to wait and see.

**Guest (1):** Thanks for all the spelling corrections. Someone like you who can pick out those errors is exactly what I need since using the wrong word doesn't come out as a misspelled word.

Wildjay1585: Sadly we won't really see Cisco's new actions around both Wells and Barry. I wanted to get this moving along and small scenes that don't add much to the plot need to be cut.

**Guest (2):** Thank you for the compliment.

Alright just one last FYI I do something in this story I've been planning to do since I posted chapter 2 so just to let you know the show is about to do it and I came up with it first, a year ago. I case you didn't know it has to do with the particle accelerator.

* * *

_The Flash: Rewriting History_

Chapter 15: Velocity 2

* * *

"…oe…" Detective west heard something in the dark. He could not tell what it was nor did he care too much. "…oe…" There it was again. It was almost as if someone were calling out to him.

"…joe…" the sounds were starting to string together and Joe actually heard his name being called. He turned towards the source of his name and struggled to acknowledge it.

"…Joe…hear me…" The voice was growing more and more distinct, it sounded like Barry talking. Was his son OK? Last thing he remembered was that they had confronted a Gorilla in the sewers of Central City.

"…Joe…please…up…" Joe's eyes were heavy but he complied with Barry's voice and tried to wake up, at least that's what it sounded like his son wanted. He opened his eyes but could hardly see. The world was dark and whatever wasn't dark was fuzzy, specifically the shape of Barry before him.

"…Barry…?" He asked weakly. Everything hurt. It would be so much easier if he went back to sleep. At least then he wouldn't have to deal with the pain.

"Easy Joe, you're still injured. Caitlin says you've got about three broken ribs, a fractured radius, and a severe concussion among other bruises." Barry placed a hand on

"What about Grodd…? Last thing I remember was-"

"Yeah, about that…" Barry moved slightly and Joe could barely make out the massive gorilla sitting on the cold ground while Caitlin wrapped up what looked like bullet wounds scattered across his body.

Why were Barry and Caitlin helping this monster? He kidnaped all three of them didn't he? "What…why…?"

"Grodd's trying to help us Joe." Barry explained quickly. "It's a little complicated but Dr. Wells want's Grodd to help us stop the other me."

"Other you…?" It took Joe a moment to understand what Barry was saying. "You mean the you that we've been with was not you?"

"Yes and no." Barry paused for a second before continuing. "He's me but from the future. He was scarce on the details but what he wants is to save everyone by controlling every aspect of our lives making our choices for us."

"But if he's you then…"

"Yeah, I know it's confusing, it's been a crazy last few weeks." Barry looked over his shoulder back towards Caitlin who was putting the finishing touches on Grodd's bandages. Ever since she woke up down here with him Barry has noticed a difference in Caitlin's behavior. Whenever he was close to her or make even the slightest physical contact she nearly jumped away, almost like she was afraid of him. From what Barry could gather from her reactions and the fact that his future incarnation was pulling some shenanigans Barry could only guess her jumpiness came from something Future-Barry did to Caitlin.

"You ok Bar?" Joe asked while clutching the ribs on his left.

"No, I'm not ok Joe." Barry sighed not taking his eyes off Caitlin.

* * *

In S.T.A.R. Labs Iris, Eddie, Dr. Wells and Cisco had gathered around the central terminals while Barry made his way to his starting point. The plan was for Barry to plant devices all throughout the sewers in order to drive Grodd away from his lair and into a space for Barry to hit him with a one hit KO supersonic punch.

"Alright, Barry is heading to his starting position with the Mind Blocker; I have got to come up with a better name for that later." Cisco began to furiously punch in commands to his computer.

"Cisco are you sure you're feeling ok?" Iris asked the young engineer. When Cisco woke up from a severe seizure induced by the absurd number of sleeping pills he took, he began acting strangely around both Dr. Wells and Barry. "Maybe you should head back to the medical lab and rest for a while."

"I'll rest when we've got Caitlin and Joe back from Grodd." Cisco did not like that he needed to lie to both Iris and Eddie in this situation since they were the only two he could trust. But with that vision of Dr. Wells walking and killing him after saying he is the Reverse-Flash, Cisco did not want to put either of them in Wells' sights.

"Well, give me a heads up when we are all set Cisco, in the meantime Detective, if you could help me down in the pipeline, I would like to set up a cell for Grodd.

"Um, Ok…but I don't see why Cisco can't help-"

"Cisco's job is to guide Grodd to Barry, he's needed here." Wells turned and wheeled out of the cortex gesturing for Eddie to follow him.

"Well, I guess I'm going with Dr. Wells." Eddie started to make his way towards the entryway of the cortex when Cisco stopped him.

"Hey, be careful Eddie." Eddie and Iris looked at Cisco questioningly before Eddie gave him a nod and disappeared around the corner following Dr. Wells.

"Barry, are you in position yet?" Iris asked into the microphone after her boyfriend and Dr. Wells were gone.

"_I'm ready, just let me know when Grodd's in position."_

"On it Barry," Cisco quickly turned off the comms after relaying the message and turned to Iris who definitely looked like she wanted him to start explaining himself.

"Alright Cisco, what's really going on with you? And don't say 'nothing', because you have been acting on edge ever since your seizure."

"I…I uh…Ok…um…" Cisco stuttered as he tried to come up with a good response that would most definitely not freak out Iris. "Ok, this may sound crazy but…I sort of been having these strange dreams recently."

"Did you run these hallucinations by Caitlin?" Iris was in fact worried for cisco. If he was hallucinating then that could be detrimental to his mental state.

"First of all they are not hallucinations, they are more like visions and yes Caitlin was the only one I told about them, but the thing is these dreams felt too real to be just dreams. And when they happened I'd get these vibes."

"I'm assuming these 'vibes' have something to do with Dr. Wells and Barry." Iris could tell she hit the nail on the head with that comment.

"Yeah, it was weird. I can't remember much of it but I saw Dr. Wells kill me and I saw Barry kill Grodd."

"Wait, what?" Iris was confused "You saw Barry kill Grodd?"

"Yeah, he was wearing this blue suit and he shoved bombs into Grodd's head and let them explode. But that wasn't the weirdest part." Cisco thought to the two children that were with Caitlin when she went all mind controlled Elsa on them. Barry seemed to care deeply about those kids plus they looked like they were the perfect blend between Iris and Barry, complete with Super Speed. "I know this probably sounds crazy and I don't know if you want to hear this but, just before I saw Barry kill Grodd I saw Caitlin with two kids"

Iris had given Cisco her undivided attention but when she heard him mention two kids something in her chest seemingly broke. "Why would Caitlin have two kids with her?"

"I don't know, and honestly they kind of looked like you and Barry."

"So, you're saying that you might have seen the future, and in it Barry and I have two kids?" Iris felt her heart breaking. Eddie was a great guy but this revelation that she and Barry were going to have two kids together made her feel very uneasy. There is no way she would ever cheat on Eddie not even with Barry, so this must mean something bad was going to happen.

"Iris?" hearing Cisco call her name snapped her out of her slight daze.

"Sorry, I just zoned out for a second."

"Look, if you don't want me to say anything else I completely understand." Cisco could tell the possibility of having children with Barry was eating away at something.

"Yeah, I…I think that may be a good idea." Cisco nodded and flipped the comms back on while also activating the sonic devices scattered all throughout the sewers.

* * *

In his lair/lab Grodd suddenly lifted his head. There was a sudden high pitch screeching noise. He clutched his head and tried to contact his father but whatever was causing the noise was making it extremely difficult for him to use his abilities. He got to his feet which drew the attention of Barry, Caitlin and Detective West.

"Grodd, where are you going?" Caitlin demanded of the ape. Despite the less than ideal circumstance she did still care for him.

"_Pain in Grodd's head!"_ Grodd's voice sounded angry and violent in her head as he turned back towards Caitlin. "_Make! It! Stop!_"

"Ok, Ok…" Caitlin tried to calm the angered ape. "Just, stay calm Grodd…you're still hurt. Just sit back down and I'll make the pain stop."

"_NO!"_ Grodd roared before swiping his arm in rage. He struck Caitlin and threw her into one of the walls of the subterranean laboratory before storming out of his lair clutching his head in pain.

"CAITLIN!" Barry rushed over to her side and checked her over. She was unconscious with some blood trickling down the back of her head. "Cait! Caitlin! Wake up! Please!" Barry frantically tried to wake Caitlin up but she hardly responded, moving ever so slightly that Barry feared that she was dead.

"…Barry…?" She replied weakly before her head fell limply forward into Barry's neck.

"Hey," Barry was glad she was partially conscious, he tried to sound reassuring for her. "Cait, listen to me carefully, I need you to just listen to me, hang on to each word and no matter what don't fall asleep, no matter how tired you feel, OK?"

"…OK…" She mumbled into the cloth on his shoulder.

"Barry is she OK?" Joe asked worried for the girl.

"She's bleeding from the back of her head and her breathing is steady, but she's out."

"We have to get her to a hospital." Joe began to force himself up, but it was still painful and labored.

Barry felt completely useless. So long as he had the cuff on his wrist he couldn't use his speed which meant he couldn't get Caitlin and Joe to the medical attention they needed.

Barry looked from the unconscious Caitlin in his arms to Joe then over to a vial of crimson liquid Caitlin had synthesized. The cuff was meant to suppress his powers as they were so if he were to increase his power he should be able to escape the cuff and save both Joe and Caitlin.

Barry gently passed Caitlin to Joe. "Hold her for a minute Joe."

"What're you planning Barry?" Joe watched as Barry grabbed the vile and the syringe-gun. Barry told him that he and Caitlin were working on a formula to increase Barry's powers in order to stop His alternate future self and possibly the Reverse-Flash. "You're going to use that speed drug thing?"

"…Barry…don't…" Caitlin's weak voice caused Barry to hesitate. Even in her state she was more concerned with Barry than with herself. "We don't know…what Velocity 2…does…"

Barry felt himself close the space between him, Caitlin and Joe. He couldn't stop himself from gently caressing Caitlin's cheek before taking her hand in his own. "Cait, I have to."

"Barry…" Joe watched as his son cared for Caitlin. He could see the compassion practically radiating off of Barry, much in the same way he could see Barry's love for Iris flaring whenever the two of them. He wanted both of his children to be happy, he always thought it would be with each other, he still believed that to an extent, but seeing Barry and Caitlin together, and Iris with Eddie, Joe could not help but be happy for all of them.

"We don't have many options left Joe." Barry jammed the syringe into his arm and pulled the trigger injecting the Velocity 2 drug into his system.

Barry felt a surge of power coursing through his veins, it was intoxicating. His hands began to vibrate uncontrollably causing the suppression cuff to simply fall right through his wrist. A smile spread across Barry's face. He had no idea how fast he was now and as much as he wanted to test just how fast he could run he knew what he had to do. He scooped Caitlin into his arms while having Joe jump onto his back before flashing them out of the sewers.

* * *

"I still don't see why you need me down here with you." Eddie was unsure why Dr. Wells needs his help with the Particle Accelerator. That and if being Joe's partner taught him anything it was to always keep one eye open and one ear to the ground, and to never bring up Iris and his sex life in front of Joe.

"I need you because as you can see I cannot improve anything down here without assistance." Wells had given Eddie a small device to place into the Particle Accelerator to provide more power to every cell. "And I can't get down to the base of the Accelerator in order to insert the amplifier."

Eddie just shrugged as he made his way over to the panel as Wells had instructed him to do. "So I just put this in here?" He asked as he opened the panel.

"Precisely" While Eddie was down in the base of the Particle Accelerator Wells hit a few keys on the key pad and opened Mark Mardon's cell.

Weather Wizard looked from Wells to the oblivious detective Thawne. With a sly grin Wells nodded to the meta-human who took the chance to leap into action.

He jumped out of his cell using air pressure, pockets and small gusts of wind to gently and silently bring him to the ground.

Eddie was quite surprised when he opened the control panel. It looked like the amplifier he was holding was specifically designed to fit into the open space, which conveniently was empty. If this panel was installed when the Particle Accelerator was originally built then that would mean the power amplifier in his hand was always meant to be in this slot, which meant…

Eddie whirled around intent to ask the paralyzed physicist why the amplifier was oddly specific, but he found Mark Mardon standing there forming what looked like a mini tornado in his hands.

Eddie reached for his gun but Mardon hit him with the tornado throwing him into the wall knocking him out.

"So, you gonna let me go free?" Mardon asked as he stood over the unconscious body of Eddie.

"Just two more tasks for you Mr. Mardon then you can go free."

"Fine."

* * *

Meanwhile above ground Barry-2024 was standing about 5.3 miles away from a certain intersection of the underground sewers. While he could easily pull off his supersonic punch with only a few inches of room he had to keep up the illusion that he was his 2015 counterpart. Ever since his vibing incident and hour or so ago Cisco has been acting strangely around both him and Wells, it was quite possible that he knows that Wells is Eobard Thawne but Barry could not be sure. "Alright guys I'm ready. Let me know when Grodd reaches the target zone."

"_On it." _Cisco called into the comms.

Barry got down into a running position ready to burst forward at incredible speeds. He wasn't going to punch Grodd; he would rather run his hand through the beast's heat and heart. That damn ape had forced his Caitlin to kill Dawn and Don and while Barry repetitively tried to consul her, Caitlin continuously blamed herself.

* * *

**August 13, 2023**

After killing Grodd Barry flashed back over to Caitlin. She had used her powers to make the jagged metal fragile enough for her to break it so she could pull it out and freeze over her wound.

"Cait…" Barry knelt next to her and gently cupped her face, despite the blood.

Tears were flowing freely from Caitlin's eyes. She felt awful for what she had done even if she had no control over her actions. "…Barry…I…I'm so sorry…"

Barry just wrapped his arms around her and held her close burying his face in the crook of her slightly bloody neck. He knew he needed to be strong for her, she was at a breaking point, but so was he and he could hold back the flood gates when he looked at the ice sculptures of his children. "Is…is there any way that they may still be alive?" he tearfully asked as he pulled his face away from Caitlin.

She shook her head sorrowfully. "I'm sorry Barry…but…they share the Speed Force between them…it…it's not enough to keep their hearts beating…"

Barry felt the tears welling up in his eyes as he looked at his frozen children, all he had left of Iris. He could not bear the pain of loss. He had lost Wally, Joe, Jay, Dawn and Don all within an hour and it was absolutely destroying him. Barry buried his face back into Caitlin's shoulder and began to wail loudly.

* * *

**Present Time**

"_He's there Barry!"_ Barry blitzed forward leaving a trail of sapphire electricity within a second he broke the sound barrier, within two he was going twice the speed of sound and steadily increasing his speed with each step.

As he entered the open area within the sewers He could see Grodd coming into focus covered in bandages.

Grodd looked over his shoulder just in time to see Barry-2024 flying towards him his hand poised for the kill. The mighty ape swung his arm with such force and speed he actually made contact with the Future Flash and threw him into a wall before assaulting his mind.

"_YOU HURT FATHER!"_ Grodd's voice savagely tore through Barry's mind, diving into his deepest darkest secrets

"AAAAAAH!" Barry screamed in pain as he clutched his head.

Grodd raised his arms and swung down his mighty arms trying to crush the fastest man alive but the Flash moved out of the way. Grodd growled and charged but Barry circled around him to land several punches in Grodd's bandages reopening his wounds. The ape roared in pain. Barry took the opportunity to circle around to the front of the gorilla and raised his vibrating right hand.

Suddenly there was a flash of sapphire lightning to Barry's left. It caught his attention enough for him to look over and get a fist embedded in his face. The force sent him flying into one of the walls Barry felt whoever was grabbing him vibrate them both through the wall and onto the railroad tracks behind it.

When he looked up there stood Barry-2015, even though he was wearing his typical street cloths sapphire-blue electricity danced all over his body.

Barry was confused. There was no way his younger self was fast enough to be generating blue electricity. He could because he's been doing this Flash gig for the last decade.

"Your lightning…its blue…"

Barry looked down at the lightning before giving his older self a smirk. "I know, cool right? I've never felt this fast before. I really got to thank Caitlin when we get out of here."

"How?"

Barry looked at his older self questioningly. "How am I now as fast as you?"

"No, no, no, no, no" barry-2024 clutched his head and began to chant 'no' over and over again. Caitlin helped Barry-2015 get faster, and the only way to do that was if she developed a version of the Velocity Drug and they most likely do not know about the cellular degenerating side effects which means two things will happen, Barry-2015 will lose his connection to the Speed Force and he will die.

"Caitlin gave you Velocity 9…"

"Velocity 9? We only made Velocity 2, and how do you know what we named it?" Barry looked over his older self and sneered slightly. "You have something that belongs to me."

The Future Flash looked down at the scarlet suit he was wearing and in a flash of blue and yellow electricity he was in his street clothes and his younger counterpart was wearing the heroic suit.

"Much better." Barry cracked his neck and got ready for a fight with his older self.

Barry-2024 just reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring. He slipped it onto his finger and in a burst of sapphire light he was clad in his azure armor and coated in blue lightning.

Both Flashes stared each other down daring the other to make the first move.

WHOOOOOO They could hear the sound of a train barreling towards them, but that did not break their concentration. At the same time the wall behind them smashed and Grodd came crashing through the wall in a fit of rage.

What happened next was an extremely fast brawl between speedsters and the ape. Both Flashes had something against the ape, but both present flash and Grodd had a vendetta against the future Flash while the older speedster only had his eyes set on Grodd he was concerned for his younger self. By taking Velocity 2, as he and Caitlin called it, Present Barry was endangering his connection to the Speed Force and by extension he was endangering Future Barry's connection as well.

* * *

"Alright, I finished your stupid machine, what's next?" Mardon asked

Wells just smirked. "I need you to make your way up to the roof."

"Why?"

"You're going to strike me with bolt of lightning." Eobard Thawne ran through a hundred different scenarios with Gideon, every single one was a failure in an attempt to regain his speed. "Do that and you're free to do whatever you want."

Weather Wizard cocked an eyebrow. This guy was insane wanting him to strike the paraplegic with a lightning bolt; then again Dr. Wells was responsible for confining him to a four by four cell for what felt like the last two months. "Fine, I'll do it."

"Good."

* * *

Grodd had gained the upper hand in the fight and grabbed both Flashes by their necks

"_NOW I KILL YOU FLASH!"_

Both Barrys exchanged looks thinking the exact same thing as the train drew closer and closer to them. In near perfect synchronization both Barrys began to vibrate and phase right through Grodd's hands.

For a moment Grodd was confused but then the train slammed into him carrying him off to who knows where.

"NO!" Barry-2024 yelled at his younger counterpart. Once of his missions was to kill Grodd, granted he had just been struck with a train but it more than likely did not kill him. "DAMN IT!" He rushed forward and grabbed Barry and shoved him into a wall. "THAT APE KILLED MY FAMILY! HE ALMOST KILLED CAITLIN!"

Barry-2015 used a move Oliver taught him to break his older self's grip and land several punches on his older self. He could feel himself slowing down slightly; no doubt the Velocity 2 was wearing off, he'd definitely have to ask Caitlin to make some more later. "I don't care what Grodd did to you or will do to us. The problem is you. What gives you the right to control every aspect of our lives?"

"I have the only right." Barry-2024 retorted. "If I do nothing, everyone will die! None of you will live! Only I can save you all!"

This made the present Flash furious. He grabbed his older self and tried to run him through a wall only for them both to vibrate through it.

* * *

"Barry!" Iris called into the microphone but either Barry could not hear her or he was ignoring her. "Barry! Please respond!"

"Something's not right." Cisco was glancing back and forth between the map showing the Barrys' location and the screen displaying Barry's vitals. There was a brief moment where the vitals plummeted to zero but that only occurs when Barry takes the suit off or, in theory, if he died. "Barry's vitals are way too high."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, they aren't life threatening but they are way too high."

"Is there any other way for us to see what's going on or find my Dad and Caitlin?"

"I'm cycling through all the sensors other Barry set up but so far there's nothing. And I'm even looking through any and all cameras in the sewers and railroads hoping for something…wait a minute…" Cisco noticed something while he was cycling through the old footage. He stopped on an image of a blur racing across the field of view. The thing about this blur was that not only was there yellow lightning there was also blue lightning.

"Can you increase the resolution?" Iris asked

"Already on it." Cisco worked his magic and within a few seconds the resolution on the camera until it was perfectly clear what they were looking at. Barry was running through the sewers with Caitlin in his arms and Joe hanging onto his back.

"I have to get down there." Iris stood up from the desk. Hearing both versions of Barry hitting each other so hard made her hear feel like it was bleeding.

"What? Iris you can't go down there! It's too dangerous!" Cisco argued as Iris put her jacket on and pull out her phone. He watched as her face change as she held it up to her ear. "Iris? What's wrong?

"It's my dad…" She breathed. "He's at the hospital with Caitlin."

"So our Barry brought them to the hospital. Are they both all right?"

"It sounds like she has a concussion, other than that they are both OK." Iris put her phone back into her pocket. "We should head down there."

"What about Eddie and Dr. Wells?"

"I'll call Eddie and let him know to meet us at the hospital. We have to stop Barry from killing Barry. That sounds a lot weirder out loud than in my head."

-**Beep! Beep! Beep!- **Cisco and Iris turned towards the computer when it suddenly started to beep uncontrollably.

"Cisco…What's that?"

"Oh no…" Cisco ran over to the terminal and his face became full of dread. "No, no, no, no, no…" He turned to Iris then back to the microphone. "Barry! We have got a situation!"

There was no response on Barry's end it sounded like he was in too deep in his fight with the other Barry, it was actually fairly difficult to tell the two of them apart at this point.

"Barry, please respond! It's the Particle Accelerator! Wells turned it back on!"

* * *

This is it folks we are in the home stretch now. Wells plan is kicked into gear, Barry vs Barry and now everyone has some idea what was going on.

Please tell me what you liked, didn't like, look forward to/think will happen, or your general thoughts and comments, this'll help me make this story better; I'm a big boy so I can take criticism. And if you Review you get a Shout Out and questions answered either privately or in the next chapter.

**MORE REVIEWS, FAVORITES AND FOLLOWS MEAN I WILL TRY TO UPDATE SOONER.**

Have a Fantastic Day or Night


	16. Lightning Strikes Twice

**Disclaimer:** The following is a nonprofit Fan based story; The FLASH and all related characters are owned by DC comics, the CW and anyone I may have missed.

As Always special shout outs to Favorites, Followers and Reviews;

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**Guest (1): **Keep doing what you're doing. I really appreciate the corrections. I tend to miss the small things when I'm tired or pumped up on caffeine

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**Mr panda: **Well, I don't want to spoil any surprises I have instore for the story.

**Wildjay1585: **Well, wait no more because this is the next chapter.

Alright onto one of the last chapters of Rewriting History

* * *

_The Flash: Rewriting History_

Chapter 16: Lightning Strikes Twice

* * *

Caitlin sat up in her hospital bed looking out the window with so many thoughts running through her head. First she really wanted to get out of this hospital, Grodd had been injured and Barry had taken Velocity 2, she needed to at least get to Barry and make sure there were no side effects of the speed drug especially if Grodd and Wells were the ones who manufactured the original version.

She looked up when she heard a knock on her door and saw Joe standing there. "Joe, what's going on? Have you heard from Barry?"

"No, he brought us her then ran off, said he had to take care of."

"He's going after Grodd, because he hurt me…" Caitlin said softly. It bothered her when Grodd lashed out at her. He was being (sort of) kind to Caitlin. "The other Barry had the same look in his eyes when Everyman threatened me."

"I just called Iris and Cisco. They're on their way here." Joe suddenly looked up noticing flashes of light outside Caitlin's window. The young doctor followed his gaze and soon they were both mesmerized by the pair of azure lightning bolts crisscrossing the city.

"Barry…" Caitlin whispered. She then flipped the blankets off of her and began to pull out all the wires and IVs on her.

Joe rushed over and held her steady, trying to get her to lie back down. "Caitlin you have to stay in bed."

"Barry needs us Joe. We have to help him!"

"How?"

"I don't know but we have to help." Joe might not have known Caitlin for very long but he could tell that when this woman put her mind to something, just like Barry and Iris, there was almost no stopping her, well maybe the doctors rushing into her room would have something different to say.

"Dr. Snow please lay back down. You had a concussion." One of the doctors ordered but Caitlin kept fighting and breaking free every time.

"No! I have to go!" Caitlin pleaded.

"Hey," Joe placed a hand on the shoulder of a doctor that was about to call in for some more orderlies. "Let her go, please. I'll bring her back."

"But Detective, hospital policy says-"

"I get it, but she's a stubborn woman. Either way she'll have her way." Joe argued in Caitlin's defense. It took a little more convincing but the doctors eventually relented and allowed Caitlin to leave so long as Joe was with her.

"Are you sure about this Caitlin? We don't even know where they are or where they're going."

"We have to. Barry took Velocity 2 and we have no idea if there are any side effects, I never had the chance to test it properly." Caitlin finished putting her jacket. "Let's go."

* * *

The Barrys raced through Central City leaving trails of blue electricity everywhere they went. They exchanged heavy blows neither one willing to give in, they both thought they knew what was best for everyone they loved.

"WHY CAN'T YOU SEE WHAT I AM DOING?" Barry-2024 screamed angrily. He really should have just shoved Barry-2015 into the Speed Force and just masqueraded as him full time.

"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO'S MESSING WITH EVERYONE'S LIVES!" Barry yelled back. He knew he needed to end this fight quickly. The Velocity 2 was definitely wearing off and when it was out of his system there would be no way for him to keep up with his older self.

"IT'S TO SAVE THEM!" Barry struck his younger self across the face before landing two powerful punches to his chest and stomach. "IF I STOP THEN EVERYONE WILL DIE!"

Barry quickly regained his footing and rushed back at his older self, grabbing him by the collar of his suit and violently slamming his head into his nose. "IF YOU DON'T NOW NO ONE WILL LIVE!"

They continued to race through the city shattering windows as they tore through the streets. Barry-2024 watched as his younger self began to slow down and lag behind as his lightning turned from blue to its original yellow.

Barry-2024 seized the opportunity and proceeded to begin a vicious assault on the young speedster, slamming him into walls, cars, windows and anything else at high speeds to cause as much damage as possible.

"I will save everyone Barry!" Barry-2024 growled into his younger-self's ear. "Even if I have to kill you to do it!"

"Oh? And what'll that accomplish? Won't that just erase you from existence?"

"You know nothing of how Time and the Speed Force Work!" Barry-2024 watched as the electricity around Barry changed from blue to yellow.

* * *

Cisco and Iris darted through the halls of STAR Labs as fast as they could. The sound of the Particle Accelerator warming up grew louder with each passing second.

"Have you been able to reach anyone Cisco?" Iris asked in between strides. Despite the obvious course of action of leaving the Lab Iris had insisted that they find Eddie and Dr. Wells.

"Neither Barry is responding, and I can't get through to either Joe or Caitlin."

"Eddie's not responding either, which is very unlike him. You said his phone is in the actual accelerator?"

"Yeah, and if Wells really did turn it on, then Eddie's in a lot more danger." They came to the entrance to the pipeline and Cisco hit a few key and opened the door. Almost as soon as it opened Iris grabbed Cisco and pulled him to the ground as a large ball of hail sailed over their heads.

"Well, well, well, look who decided to join the party." Iris and Cisco looked up to see Mark Mardon standing over them forming another basketball sized hail chunk. Flanking him on both sides were The Mist, Peek-a-boo, Deathbolt and Rainbow Raider, all their captured meta-humans had been freed. "The daughter of the bastard cop who killed my brother, and she brought a friend with her, that's cute."

Iris grabbed Cisco's hand and pulled him up before the two of them began to run in the opposite direction while the Meta-humans gave chance.

"What do we do?" Iris asked Cisco as she dodged a laser blast from Deathbolt.

"I don't know!" Cisco ducked as a bolt of lightning shot over his head. "Barry had a tough time with each of them individually!"

"Is there anyone we can call for help?"

Cisco got an idea and whipped out his phone and quickly shifted through his contacts. "Ronnie? Oh thank God you picked up, listen we kind of need Firestorm's help here in Central City. How fast can you get here?"

"_Uh, I know my flight speed is impressive but it'll take us almost an hour to get there."_ Ronnie replied.

Cisco ducked behind a corner as a bolt of lightning shocked the metal edge. "Well, I don't know if we'll even last an hour. Everything is kind of going to shit right now."

"_What exactly is wrong Cisco? Is Cait OK?"_

"I don't know man. She's in the hospital right now and we can't get in contact with her or Joe."

"_I'll be there as soon as I can!_" Ronnie hung up the phone leaving Cisco to relay the message to Iris.

Suddenly Peek-a-boo appeared in front of him holding Eddie's gun directly against the engineer's head. "Let's see how you like it when I lock you up in a more permanent box." She never got to pull the trigger as Iris grabbed a wrench and struck the teleporter over the back of her head.

* * *

In Pittsburg Ronnie just hung up his phone call with Cisco. He had to get back to Central City, it sounded like Caitlin was hurt real bad.

"What's wrong Ronald?" Professor Stein asked

"It's Caitlin…She's in the hospital. And Cisco is in trouble."

"Then there is no time to lose." Martin held out his hand and Ronnie took it.

The two men transformed into a swirling mass of fire and energy until they reformed in Ronnie's shape with the Quantum splicer plastered on his left chest. His hands and head burst into flames and he took off into the skies as fast as he could.

* * *

As Caitlin and Joe entered into the detective's car Caitlin pulled out her phone to try and contact Felicity, they needed help from either Oliver or Ray.

"_Hello?"_

"Felicity, its Caitlin."

"_Caitlin! How are you? How's Barry? Are you two, you know…having trouble in paradise?_"

"Felicity!" Caitlin huffed. As much as she loved to talk with Felicity the blond could talk at a mile a minute. "Now isn't the time! We need Team Arrow's help." There was an awkward silence that hung over the phone. "Felicity? Why are you being silent?"

"_Uh, I'm not being silent. It's just the Team isn't quite what it used to be since Oliver, well… Oliver has been brainwashed by the League of Assassins…_"

"What!?" Caitlin was shocked. "Is there any way to reach him?"

Felicity's voice sounded depressed, like "_No, he's dropped off the Grid. All we know is he's in Nanda Parbat. Even if we could get his help he won't be able to help any time soon._" Caitlin sighed, it really sounded like they weren't going to get any help from Team Arrow with this one, which was a shame since Oliver was able to slow a raging Barry down with Horse tranquilizer. "_I'm really sorry Caitlin but there isn't much we can do from here…_"

"It's OK Felicity…We'll figure something out…" Caitlin hung up the phone without another word. Felicity and the rest of Team Arrow were going to be no help in their situation without Oliver.

"Anything from Team Arrow?" Joe asked as he feverously drove his car through the streets of Central City trying to find his son and his son's evil older doppelganger.

"Nothing…" Caitlin shuffled through her contacts until she landed on Ronnie's number. If Oliver and Team Arrow couldn't help them with the Evil Future Barry then maybe Ronnie and Firestorm could.

She hit call and waited while the phone rang. It rang and rang but Ronnie didn't pick up it just went to his voicemail. "I can't even get through to Ronnie. We're on our own."

A streak of Blue caught the corner of her eye. Looking Caitlin and Joe couldn't help but silently gasp. The Blue Flash was dragging Barry along by the collar of his suit. The blue Flash's lightning tore up chunks of the road with each step and crackle of electricity leaving a trail of destruction in the path of Joe's car.

"Oh my god…" Caitlin breathed out.

Joe was also preoccupied with trying to get a visual on his son but following them up a building was hard to do and he couldn't see the rubble in the road while he was looking up.

* * *

The Blue clad Flash stood atop one of Central City's highest building holding Barry precariously over the ledge by his neck.

"Central City doesn't need you Barry." The older Flash growled. "Joe doesn't need you. Cisco doesn't need you. Iris doesn't need you. Caitlin doesn't need you. They don't need a Flash who's always late, one who isn't there when it counts. They need me. The one that'll be there before anything bad happens to them!"

Barry threw up his leg and caught his older self's chin forcing him to drop Barry a dozen stories. Using his speed Barry landed back on his feet and attempted to lead his villainous self away from the city.

"YOU WON'T ESCAPE ME!" The Older Flash suddenly appeared behind Barry and held him in a tight head lock.

Barry struggled to breathe as he felt his windpipe getting crushed. "…Please…" Barry pleaded. "…please…stop…"

Joe saw his son get strangled and something clicked in him. He slammed his foot on the gas and made an attempt to ram the blue Flash with his car. Caitlin held on for her life as she felt the sudden acceleration and watched as they rapidly approached the two Barrys threatening to hit them.

"Joe…" Caitlin's fear began to well up inside her as she turned to Barry's foster father kind of hoping he wasn't going to do what he looked like he was going to do.

"WE WERE GIVEN THIS GIFT TO MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE BARRY! CAN'T YOU SEE THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I AM TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH?" He tightened his grip around Barry's neck. To save everyone he cared about Barry would have to kill Barry. He could do that, he was protected by the Speed Force plus if he remained in this time permanently as he planned there would be no Space Time Continuum ending consequences as there would still be a Barry Allen.

Suddenly 2.3 tons of metal slammed into Barry-2024's back. He let out a silent scream of pain as he and his younger-self were forced to the ground.

"NO!" Barry screamed as he watched Joe's right front wheel hit the hole while a bunch of jagged asphalt punched the underside of the car forcing the front to bolt up and make the entire machine flip over with both Joe and Caitlin still inside.

Barry watched the event transpire in slow-motion. It was like he was frozen and had no idea what he was supposed to do. This was something that never happened in his original timeline, he didn't know how it would end. Were Joe and Caitlin going to die on impact? Were they going to be severely injured? Were they going to walk away unscathed?

"JOE!/CAIT!" Both Barrys screamed. Barry-2024 released his younger-self and they both ran towards the flipping car desperate to save its occupants from harm. But Barry-2015 was undergoing a strange feeling. It felt as if for every step he took he was moving slower, noticeable enough that he knew he would not make it to either Caitlin or Joe in time, the only way they could be saved was if his future-self got to them.

The roof of the car collided with ravaged asphalt and slid another ten yards before colliding with the side of a building.

"NO!" Barry screamed fearing the worst possible outcome. He fell to his knees completely in shock. Even with Velocity 9 flushed out of his system Barry should have still been fast enough to save them.

There was a flash of blue light. Barry looked up to see his older counterpart standing not ten feet from him. Barry's left arm was securely around Joe's shoulders while his right arm was firmly around Caitlin's waist.

"Let me go!" Caitlin and Joe both struggled against the Blue Flash's grip but he refused to let them go.

"I can't do that Cait-"

"Do! Not! Call! Me! That!" Caitlin spit out those five words vehemently. She hated this Barry Allen. He toyed with her emotions. Made her feel something for a man she knew probably didn't feel the same way.

Joe didn't bother saying a word, instead he elbowed Barry in the gut and then in his face. When he made contact it felt like he was hitting charged steel, definitely cracking his bones and sending a small electrical pulse through his system.

"Please don't do that Joe. I don't want to have to hurt either of you." Barry pleaded.

"LET THEM GO!" Barry ran forward and rammed his shoulder into Barry's chest, forcing him to release both Caitlin and Joe.

Barry's face became flush with anger as he eyed his younger-self standing between him, his foster father and one of the women he loved.

* * *

"You OK?" Cisco asked as he and Iris struggled to catch their breath after barely making it out of S.T.A.R. Labs.

"Yeah…I just can't believe we made it out…" Iris looked over her shoulder back at the imposing building.

They barely finished catching their breath when the meta-humans emerged from the lab. Each one of them readied their powers to take out Iris and Cisco.

"How long was it supposed to take for back up to arrive?" Iris asked.

Deathbolt fired his plasma beams, Mist threw a cloud of hydrogen cyanide, while Peek-a-boo and Rainbow Raider made a break for it.

A line of fire burned the ground and intercepted the plasma and gas, saving Iris and Cisco. Hovering in the air above them was none other than Firestorm. He looked over to his right and threw a fireball creating a wall of fire that blocked Bivolo and Baez before surrounding them in a net of flames.

"You want them you go through me." Firestorm challenged the escapees. "Now I suggest you just surrender now before things get ugly.

"I'm not going back into a four by four cell flame brain!" Nimbus morphed into a cloud of green gas and rushed for Firestorm.

"_Ronald, use what we have learned and transform that gas into something a little less toxic."_ Martin Stein's voice echoed in Ronnie's head.

"Got it old man." Ronnie threw his arms forward and blasted nimbus with his nuclear flames transforming him back into his solid form leaving Mist gasping for breath.

"Damn…" Cisco breathed "Nice one Ronnie!"

Firestorm flashed Cisco a grin before turning back to Nimbus and Simmons. "So, who's next?"

Deathbolt charged his plasma eyes and fired at Firestorm, the Nuclear Man responded in kind by blasting him with nuclear fire. Their powers were fairly matched with Deathbolt absorbing the energy from Firestorm while the burning man absorbed the radiation and energy from Deathbolt's plasma blasts.

Nimbus saw a chance to attack so he turned back into his gas form and tried to attack Firestorm. "_Ronald, look out!"_ Ronnie turned to the Mist and blasted him with another river of flames this time unzipping the molecules of the poisonous gas and transforming it into something more useful, water vapor. Kyle Nimbus, The Mist, dissipated with a scream of agony as he tried to pull himself together but wind currents tore him apart.

"Screw this I am out." Peek-a-boo mumbled to herself before teleporting as far away as she could after seeing how easily Firestorm took down the Mist.

Turning his full attention back to Deathbolt Firestorm threw everything he had at the meta-human completely overpowering his plasma bolts and swallowed the man's face in nuclear flames. Unfortunately for Deathbolt it was far too much for energy for him to absorb and the excess nuclear energy roasted his face until it was an unrecognizable mass of burns.

"Anyone else?" Firestorm turned to Bivolo who's eyes turned red in an attempt to make this burning man super angry so he might attack his friends rather than him.

Instead of attacking his friends like Rainbow Raider wanted, the burning man became engulfed in flames before separating into Professor Martin Stein and Ronnie Raymond.

Seeing no good options left Bivolo whirled around and made a break for it hoping that they wouldn't chase him.

"Are you alright Ronald?" Stein asked his other half. He could feel rage building inside Ronnie, rage at Cisco for locking him in the pipeline and rage directed at Caitlin for not leaving with him when he initially asked.

"I'm fine." Ronnie tried to reassure the old man fighting the anger that was building within him. "Where's Caitlin Cisco? You said she was in the hospital."

"We've been trying to call my dad to get updates on her but I can't get through to them." Iris was slowly taking in what she had witnessed. This was Caitlin's 'Cousin' 'Sam'. The Burning Man, who was also Caitlin's ex-fiancé Ronnie, the one who 'died' during the Particle Accelerator Explosion.

"Did you try the hospital?" Ronnie asked

Cisco tapped his shoulder and drew his attention. "We'll find out about Caitlin shortly. In the meantime we've got to deal with that." He pointed to the roof and everyone followed his finger to see Weather Wizard forming a massive storm over S.T.A.R. Labs.

Lightning crackled and the winds began to roar while Weather Wizard smirked down at the little ants beneath him. "This will be fun."

* * *

Inside the Particle Accelerator, Eobard Thawne climbed out of his wheel chair and into a machine in the heart of the Particle Accelerator. He securely fastened his legs into place before doing the same with his arms before a triumphant smirk crossed his face.

"Gideon, activate the Accelerator." Wells ordered.

-**At once Dr. Wells-**

"Mr. Mardon" Thawne spoke into the comms. "When the energy vents upward call it down as a bolt of lightning." He looked behind the glass separating him from the rest of the Lab to see his ancestor cuffed to a steel pipe. "Oh, don't look so down detective. You're about to witness one of the greatest moments in all of time."

"You're insane!" Eddie fired back. "And what kind of name is Eobard anyway?" Yes, Wells revealed his true identity to his ancestor as a way to coerce him to his side. He even showed him the newspaper written by Iris West-Allen.

"It's a very sophisticated and well respected name for someone who comes from a very sophisticated family." Eobard retorted.

There was a thunderous boom and Thawne's smirk grew wider while Eddie looked on in horror. "It's time to get back everything that was taken from me."

* * *

Cisco and Iris headed for cover while Firestorm reformed and flew up to attack Weather Wizard. They didn't know what he was trying to do but the size and strength of the storm could spell disaster for the whole city if it grew anymore.

Mardon threw all forms of lightning, hail and wind at Firestorm to counteract the latter's fireballs. A stray lightning bolt got through Firestorm's defenses and struck the Nuclear Man in the chest.

"How do we fight a guy who controls the weather?" Ronnie asked as he rubbed his chest.

"_Perhaps we take advantage of any opening that presents itself. Say when he utilizes Hail."_

The ground rumbled and both Iris and Cisco steadied themselves.

"What was that?" Iris asked

"The Particle Accelerator…it's on…and that was the loud bang before-"

The ground shook and a massive column of energy exploded skyward and merged with the overhanging storm. Iris' hand covered a silent gasp. Cisco watched in shock. Firestorm barely avoided the blast and Weather Wizard did exactly what he was told to do, he called down a bolt of lightning made of the energy from the Particle Accelerator.

* * *

The two Barrys raced around each other with the Blue Flash running circles around Barry who was now running slower without the Velocity 9.

Future Flash landed several vicious punches to Barry's stomach, chest and jaw.

"You can't beat me Barry." Future Flash taunted. "I've been doing this longer than you!" He landed another strong punch to Barry's face. "You know, while you've been learning just how to go Faster I figured I should learn how to fight." Barry felt several more punches and kicks delivered all over his body. "I've learned to fight from Oliver Queen and Nyssa al Ghul, just to name a few." Future Barry stood over his defeated self. "I'm surprised you don't recognize their fighting styles."

"So you just want to save everyone? Then why have you been trying to kill people?"

"You look at the Criminal Justice System with rose tinted glasses Barry. Sometimes it isn't worth letting them win." Future Flash simply stated. "Sometimes criminals just get out again to kill those you love."

"Yeah so? I've seen _Back to the Future_! You kill me you will cease to exist!" Barry pushed himself back to his feet.

"Not true! Changing the Past does change the Future, but since I am not in the Future I will remain unaltered. Besides, if I remain here to be you then Time will continue on." Barry-2024 flashed over to a construction yard and grabbed a rebar with a jagged edge before racing back to Barry. "I've gone through all this effort to save everyone! I WON'T LET YOU STOP ME!" lost to his emotions Barry ran the bar through Barry's left leg.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Barry screamed in pain as the cold metal punctured through the muscle and blood vessels and back out the other side of his left quad.

Barry-2024 hoisted Barry up and began to viciously beat him down. Barry tried to fight back but now not only was he much slower, but he was also injured to the point it was far too painful for him to run. Punches were landed definitely bruising his internal organs and cracking his ribs.

"And do you know what the real sad thing is Barry? This all because of your selfishness!" he spun Barry around a bit before throwing him into a car. "If you could get your head out of your ass half the time no bad things would have happened!" The Blue Flash crouched over his younger and cocked his hand back and began to vibrate it violently and coat it with azure lightning. "It's over Barry."

"NO!" Caitlin leaped onto Barry-2024's back in an attempt to stop him from killing her Barry. It didn't stop Barry's movement and it resulted in Caitlin being thrown to the ground on top of Barry. Unfortunately for both Barry-2024 and Caitlin, the vibrations caused Barry's arm to phase slightly into Caitlin's chest giving his lightning an opening to course through Caitlin. Tragically, because Barry was not vibrating at the frequency of air, his arm ruptured everything it passed through, namely Caitlin's torso.

"CAITLIN!" Barry-2015 held his friend in his arms blood soaked her blouse. "CAITLIN!" Barry tried to wake her up.

"…B…arry…" Caitlin barely muttered his name before going limp in his arms. Barry felt for a pulse, there was one, barely.

"Caitlin? Oh my god! I'm so sorry… I…I…"

"STAY AWAY FROM HER!" Barry screamed. "DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HER AGAIN!"

Barry-2024 took three slow steps back in complete shock. This wasn't supposed to happen. Caitlin wasn't supposed to die this way if at all. He wanted to step forward but Barry rushed Caitlin over to Joe.

"Joe, get her back to STAR Labs." Barry pleaded through his tears.

"You can count on me Barry." Joe nodded.

Acting purely on adrenaline and instinct Barry ran fast and hard coating his body with excess Speed Force energy. He reached out and grabbed the symbol on the Blue Flash's chest. "YOU DON'T DESERVE TO BE THE FLASH! YOU DON'T DESERVE CAITLIN! OR IRIS! OR ANYONE!"

"WHAT'RE YOU DOING!?" Barry-2024 began to freak out as Barry pulled on the symbol and their lightning began to mix in a violent electrical storm.

"NO STOP!"

**KRACK-BOOOOOM** Suddenly the Speed Force between the two Flashes built up to apocalyptic levels before detonating in a vicious feedback that scorched the earth and the Future Flash.

Smoke covered the entire area and electricity crackled around the cloud. As the smoke cleared Barry forced himself back to his feet. His wounds were healing, though the adrenaline made it easier to stand with a hole in his left leg.

"Look what you did…" Through the smoke his older-self stood up. Half his suit had been destroyed and all his exposed skin was a horrible mass of scar tissue, including half his face. "You've ruined…everything…"

"You did that yourself…" Barry breathed raggedly. He wasn't in that great of shape either. Half his mask was torn off and so was his right sleeve. Cisco wasn't going to be happy.

**BOOOM **Both Barry whipped around hearing the loud boom. They watched the column of Energy shoot into the sky, fester inside a massive storm cloud before coming back down as a bolt of crimson lightning.

"No…" Barry breathed out as he watched the bolt of lightning fall from the sky. In almost one year, Barry was forced to recreate the explosion to reestablish his connection to the Speed Force. This was both a blessing and a curse as it brought him closer to Iris but almost cost him his life. "No, no, no, no…"

"Was that?"

"Thawne…"

"Thawne? Like Eddie?"

"The Reverse-Flash, he's back."

* * *

The Lightning coursed through the systems of S.T.A.R. Labs and down to the main chamber of the Particle Accelerator before ravaging Eobard Thawne with its raw power.

"AAAAH!" Thawne screamed in pain as crimson electricity began to dance all over him leaving small burns across his body. He could feel the raw power of the Speed Force running through his very being infusing with every cell, every molecule, and every atom. A wild smile spread across his face and scarlet lightning raced through his eyes.

The energy built around him before exploding in all directions shattering glass and non-essential machines. Excess electricity arced everywhere, scorching the ground.

Eddie watched in slow motion as one of the excess bolts shot towards him. The electricity cut straight through Eddie's lower left stomach, into a certain object in his pocket before arcing out as a new cobalt color and striking all over Eddie, igniting the poor detective's cloths and burning his whole body.

Eobard began to vibrate his arms and legs destroying the restraints that held him in place. He dropped down to the floor and stood triumphantly.

Recreating the 'accident' worked far better than he had anticipated. He felt even more powerful than he was before.

He looked over to Eddie's unmoving scorched body and flashed over to his ancestor in a burst of scarlet electricity. He knew Eddie was still alive as he was still there, if Eddie were to die then there would be this whole Temporal Paradox that would threaten to tear the Universe asunder.

Thawne reached down and pulled a small black box out of his pocket and opened it. "Ah, I see you were holding your grandmother's ring. Were you perhaps planning to propose to Ms. West?" Eddie twitched slightly as blue energy flickered across his hand resulting in a smirk from Thawne. "I just have one thing left to say to you Detective Thawne, welcome to the family, Cobalt Blue."

* * *

Please tell me what you liked, didn't like, look forward to/think will happen, or your general thoughts and comments, this'll help me make this story better; I'm a big boy so I can take criticism. And if you Review you get a Shout Out and questions answered either privately or in the next chapter.

**MORE REVIEWS, FAVORITES AND FOLLOWS MEAN I WILL TRY TO UPDATE SOONER.**

Have a Fantastic Day or Night


	17. The (Re)Birth of the Reverse-Flash

**Disclaimer:** The following is a nonprofit Fan based story; The FLASH and all related characters are owned by DC comics, the CW and anyone I may have missed.

As Always special shout outs to Favorites, Followers and Reviews;

Favorites: **mbshadow, esthealice17, Bookworm2950, Alastairnyght, ILove Puncakes, beemorana, MisterOriginality, **and **ErenXMikasaAOT**

Followers: **esthealice17, Alastairnyght, ILove Puncakes **and **ErenXMikasaAOT**

Reviewers: **AReiss215, demonfox2140, Mr panda, changingdestiny40, Guest, persin,** and **Flash Frost**

**Mr panda: **You're going to have to wait to find out about Caitlin and Eddie. Barry v Barry was quite fun to right I used the Barry vs Future Barry fight from the New 52 comics as a template.

**Guest:** Thanks again for your corrections keep them coming I really appreciate them.

**persin:** I'm updating! I'm updating! Keep your pants on.

Because I love you all so much I present to you chapter 17. It took a lot longer than I expected to write, but I wanted it to be perfect now that I am officially a college graduate and have entered into the Real World. Any who the plan is to end this story on chapter 20 so the next three chapters might feel rushed, which I sure hope they aren't.

* * *

_The Flash: Rewriting History_

Chapter 17: The (Re)Birth of the Reverse-Flash

* * *

**March 23 2029 – Initial Timeline**

**BOOOM** A blue wormhole opened on a cool street before a streak of crimson. It skidded to a halt in the middle of the street. There in a crimson suit with a lightning bolt on his chest stood a man.

"**_Gideon…Where the hell am I?"_**

-**The Date is March 23rd of the year 2029. We are currently on the outskirts of Central City.-**

**_"It worked? I made it to the past?"_** A childlike grin spread across his face. He had done it. Not only had he proved the Speed Force was real and that Time Travel was possible but he was now going to meet his hero, The Flash.

**_"HAHA!"_** He pumped his fist into the air with pure happiness. **_"I did it…"_** Tears of joy trickled down his cheeks. **_"If only everyone could see what I've accomplished…"_**

-**Professor Thawne, perhaps it would be wise to head back to our original time line-**

**_"Not yet Gideon, I've got to meet the Flash. After that then we'll head back."_** He looked off in the direction of the splendor that was Central City before racing off towards it in a flash of yellow electricity.

Nearly a minute later he skidded to a stop outside the legendary Flash Museum. **_"The Flash Museum…I wonder what they have on display in 2029 vs back home."_** In a tornado of red Eobard Thawne shed his suit and stored it in the ring.

He strolled up to the base of the large golden statue of his hero.

**Dedicated To: The Flash**

**Central City's Guardian Angel**

There was a crowd of people swarming the entryway of the museum but that didn't stop Thawne from working his way into the main entrance. He paid the fee and wandered around the magnificent building.

He saw the exhibits detailing The Flash and many of his heroic exploits. One of them even detailed a race between him and the Man of Steel.

"Who would win in an actual race, Flash or Superman?" He heard a child ask. He smirked, obviously the Flash would win.

"I wanna see the Rouges Exhibit!"

Eobard just looked around with continued wonder until he saw a woman and two preteens walking slowly towards the exit.

They caught each other's eyes for a brief moment and the woman's expression changed to shock as if she had seen a ghost. Eobard gave her a reassuring smile before a person walked between them and he vanished from her view.

In reality he ducked into an exhibit hall and placed a hand over his fluttering chest. He had never felt this way about anyone in a long time, the last time he felt like this the woman he loved suddenly had a massive mental breakdown and was admitted to a psychiatric ward.

He looked around the room he was in with awe, all around him the exploits of heroes who fought alongside the Flash. Including, but not limited to the Green Arrow, Black Canary, the Atom, Firestorm, Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Superman and Green Lantern.

"This is amazing!" He breathed. All their exploits were just astonishing, the idea that people, both ordinary and extraordinary, could inspire hope in others and give people the drive to be heroes, that's precisely what happened with him.

In the center of the room his eyes fell to an article and his eyes grew in size as he read it. It was being projected to stand out and it had a crowd gathered around it.

**FLASH MISSING! VANISHES IN CRISIS!**

**By: Iris West-Allen**

**Thursday April 25 2024**

There wasn't much in the Article most of the details were about an extreme battle between the Flash and another speedster called the Reverse-Flash.

"He…he's dead?" Thawne felt like his entire world was collapsing around him. His hero, the man he aspired to be was gone. Not just dead, just gone and it seemed as if no one was properly remembering him. They just came, gawked at his exploits and moved on with their lives as if the Flash never existed.

"No…no, no, no, no…" He had to get out of there. This could not be happening. In his moment of triumph he would not be able to share it with his hero.

Silently he slipped out of the museum his thoughts flying through his brain faster than even Gideon could process.

-**Professor Thawne, perhaps it would be best to return to your original time.-**

"No Gideon. There is something I must do. This city needs someone to believe in. Someone who can protect them the way the Flash does." He looked down at the ring that decorated his left hand. "I'm going to be the Flash."

* * *

**Present Time – Current Timeline**

Joe had managed to get an ambulance for Caitlin. The EMTs in the ambulance were asking all sorts of questions of Joe, like where did the massive burn on her chest come from? Why was she released from the hospital earlier? Joe answered them as best he could and despite his attempts to get them to bring Caitlin to STAR Labs, since her injuries were related to Barry's speed, The EMT's refused to bring her there sighting that Joe was not her guardian and therefore could not make decisions on her behalf.

"Please, you have to take her to S.T.A.R. Labs!"

"I'm sorry detective but we can't do that!" The EMT fired back. "Dr. Snow needs actual medical attention from real doctors! Not some mad scientist who blew up the city!"

"Heart beat is failing! She's going to Crash!"

"Step on it!" Joe yelled as the ambulance raced through another red light

* * *

"What ttttthhhheeeee ffffffrrrrrrraaaaaaaaa-" Cisco never finished his sentence as he, iris and Firestorm slowed down to a complete stand still as the Reverse-Flash emerged from STAR Labs clad in his signature yellow and black suit and veiled in the crimson lightning he had grown so attached to. His body vibrated at a steady frequency that masked his identity even further and accented a pair of glowing red eyes

"**_You are all fools._**" He spoke with his sinister voice. "**_To think that anything you can do can stop me now."_** He blitzed over to Cisco at speeds and in an amount of time that rendered Cisco frozen even the gust of wind that would normally blow Cisco's hair everywhere seemed virtually nonexistent.

"**_I know I've told you that I see you as a son Cisco, in fact I have grown to actually care for Caitlin and Barry in the same way." _**He stuck his vibrating hand through Cisco's chest yet he didn't stop it. "**_Despite the honorable future in store for you, I could still kill you now it would be so simple."_** Crimson electricity arced through Cisco's body at a frequency that did no harm.

Thawne turned his head to Iris and with a wicked grin he flashed over to her and cupped her chin. "**_Sweet Iris West, you chose the wrong man. You should have chosen me. We could have had it all. Any Earth. Any Time. The Professor and Ms. West, next stop Everywhere."_** There was a dark chuckle in his throat. "**_Perhaps later in this life or another."_**

* * *

**Original Timeline – March 28 2029**

It was a relatively quiet day in Central City. Iris West-Allen sat quietly at her desk looking at the blank document on her holoscreen. Reports had been coming in for the last week saying that the Flash was back. Iris had her doubts, since she along with her father, Henry and Nora all watched as Barry transformed into pure energy and exploded along with the Reverse-Flash.

"Iris, you got anything new on the Flash?" Iris looked up at her editor.

"Nothing yet, I have my doubts that this even is the Flash."

"Well he runs fast, no one can get a picture of him and he's saving people on an hourly basis. It sounds like the Flash to me. Get it done Ms. West-Allen; I want this story on my desk by the end of the day." Her editor nodded to her before heading back to his office.

Iris sighed before looking at the picture on her desk. It was the very last photo she and Barry and their kids took before he vanished. She refused to believe that Barry was dead, there just no possible way he was dead even though her dad, Henry and Nora all believed that Barry was truly gone.

She brought her fingers to her lips before gently touching them to the image of Barry. "I miss you Barry…"

Suddenly as if time slowed to a halt as she saw a bolt of yellow lightning travel across the window. She turned towards it just in the nick of time to see a man clad in a red suit eerily similar to her late husband's. Iris just saw him run by in slow motion like she was seeing a ghost. Last week she thought she saw Barry at the Flash Museum but that was more or less a figment of her imagination. Her body began to move on its own as she grabbed her purse and jacket and headed out of Central City Picture News to chase after this scarlet specter of her husband.

She got in her car and began to drive while listening to the police scanner Barry had given her when she first started as a reporter back in 2018.

-**All units there's an accident on 4th Ave.** **There's a rolled over school bus-** Iris knew exactly where she needed to go as she drove towards the accident.

When Iris arrived she got out of her car and watched as a streak of red was moving in and out of each totaled car pulling people from the wreckage. He was moving fast whoever it was, his body was constantly vibrating to better conceal his identity.

"Barry…?" Iris breathed out silently as she got a better look at the crimson suit that decorated the speedster.

The Speedster gave a smile, at least it looked like a smile, to several children he pulled out of the overturned bus. He turned to leave and Iris caught his eyes and Iris froze in shock. The mysterious speedster took off in her direction and as he passed her Iris reached out and took his hand and suddenly she was being pulled along with him.

The speedster glanced over his shoulder and that's when he noticed Iris clinging to him. It looked like he mumbled something as he continued to run. He ran for what felt like forever until they came to a stop on top of a hill overlooking the Gem Cities.

"Barry?" Iris asked as she steadied herself. She hadn't moved at super speed in five years so her body wasn't as used to it as it once was.

His body ceased vibrating and he pulled his cowl off, revealing a face strikingly similar to Bartholomew Henry Allen. "Hey." He gave her a smile. "Iris. Sorry I'm late."

Using the Flash's DNA, and a futuristic device used to engineer the DNA of an individual Eobard Thawne changed his appearance to be an exact copy of the Flash's. It was not hard to acquire the Flash's DNA after all he was wearing the man's original suit so there was bound to be a few stray hairs and skin cells left on it over the centuries.

He was learning so much in the past week. He learned what the Flash looked like beneath his cowl. Then he learned from this woman that the Flash's name was Barry and clearly she was intimate with the Flash to know his identity and the identities of everyone that was closely connected to the Flash.

So many emotions flooded through Iris and the first thing she did was slap Barry across the face.

"Ow geeze what was that for?" 'Barry' asked but he never got a response as Iris grabbed the collar of his suit and pulled him into a passionate kiss.

There was something off about the kiss and Iris couldn't put her finger on it. It was like the fire or spark between her and Barry had dwindled down to embers, maybe that's just the way things work after believing your husband to be dead for five years.

"Where have you been Barry? We…we all thought you were dead…" Iris asked as she broke the kiss.

"Oh…it's…well…it's complicated Iris. But where I was doesn't matter. I'm back and I am here to stay." Iris smiled as 'Barry' cupped her cheek and leaned in for another kiss.

* * *

**Present Time – Current Timeline**

Thawne slowly took his hand off Iris' cheek. As much as he actually loved Iris, she still chose The Flash over him, and in this timeline she had chosen Eddie over Barry.

"**_Forgive me Iris, but you've been dead for centuries."_** He began to vibrate his hand at tremendous speeds with red electricity dancing around the black fabric. He readied for the kill but he never got the chance.

There was a flash of blue and like a demon possessed him the Future Flash came out of nowhere vibrating his entire body allowing him to run straight through Iris's body and slam into Eobard Thawne throwing him some distance away from Iris and Cisco.

"-ck" Cisco blinked as he watched The Blue Flash and The Reverse-Flash appear seemingly out of nowhere.

"Barry?" Iris's gaze was glued to the Future-Flash analyzing every feature of his marred body. He truly did look like Barry as far as she could tell underneath the scar tissue. She would have been completely sold on his identity if it were not for the futuristic suit and the blue lightning weakly decorating him. The more she thought about it the more confused she became. Just who was this man who resembled a horrific version of her foster brother?

He turned towards her, the expression in his eyes and face told her everything she needed to know. This was Barry, if it weren't there would be no way she'd be able to read him this well.

"**_Heh, heh, ha, ha, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!" _**Looking at the horrendously scarred visage of the Future Flash, Eobard Thawne couldn't help but break out in maniacal laughter. "**_Look who it is. Barry Allen, the Fastest Man Alive, the Cobalt Comet, the Monarch of Motion, the Sultan of Speed-"_**

"Enough Thawne." Barry growled. That damned reverse Flash had somehow gotten his powers back and if Barry were a betting man he would bet money that Thawne repeated the Particle Accelerator Explosion somehow avoiding being sucked into the Speed Force in the process. But if he did how did he know where the lightning was to strike? Unless… "Where's Weather Wizard?" The speedster demanded.

"**_Nice to see you to, Barry. Unfortunately I do not know where Mr. Mardon has run off to. I told him he was free to go after he helped me reacquire my powers_**." Thawne was on his feet in a heartbeat and in another they were joined by the Flash of this era.

Iris's heart fluttered at the sight of her best friend clad in all red. Barry Allen was really the Flash, that had not been a lie as she was beginning to believe. This had to be the real Barry, there was no other explanation as her heart beat faster as she thought of all the times he had saved her and the city without her knowing.

"You!?" Barry looked at the man in yellow and his anger began to boil. The man who killed his mother was standing in front of him as was the older version of Barry. "You're Thawne? You're the Reverse-Flash?"

Eobard Thawne breathed out what seemed to be a sigh of relief as a weight was lifted from his being. "**_You have no idea how wonderful it feels for you to finally know my name Barry._**" He stopped vibrating his body as he pulled off his cowl. There was no point in hiding his identity anymore since the Future-Flash undoubtedly told Barry everything. "I am Eobard Thawne."

"You killed my mother? WHY?" Barry felt the sting betrayal hard as it filled him with rage.

"She was in the way." Thawne retorted. "And in the end it all worked out for the better."

Barry was could no longer control his rage. He blitzed forward and attempted to grab Thawne but the Reverse-Flash moved out of the way effortlessly.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Barry screamed as Thawne pulled his cowl back over his head and regained his menacing look.

"**_I'd love to see you try Flash_**!" The two speedsters charged each other in a dace of Crimson and golden electricity.

The older Flash was about to join in the fight when a line of fire burnt the ground in front of him.

"Hold it right there!" He looked up to see Firestorm hovering in the air with one hand aimed at him.

Cisco and Iris crouched behind some cover with the fierce battle unfolding behind them. This was getting to be far too much for them after all they were just ordinary humans.

"Damn it Ronnie…" Barry grumbled. If Firestorm was going to get in his way as well then he'd have to kill one half of the superhero, preferably Ronnie Raymond. "Don't make me do this."

Firestorm cocked and threw another stream of fire at the blue speedster but the Flash moved out of the way effortlessly. He ran up the side of the Laboratory before leaping towards Firestorm

"_Behind us!"_ Firestorm turned just in time to avoid a lightning coated arm aimed at his head. He whirled around and latched onto the Blue-Flash's back.

"Now what?" Ronnie asked the Professor.

"_Fly high into the atmosphere where there's less oxygen. Less oxygen means he won't have the energy to use his speed and because of his metabolism it should affect him sooner."_ Mentally nodding at the brilliance of the Professor, Ronnie shot straight up into the sky intending to deprive the speedster of oxygen.

They continued to gain altitude passing the troposphere into the lower stratosphere. Ronnie could feel the struggle to breathe as it began to affect him as well.

Barry however saw this coming and began to vibrate his entire body until he literally phased through Firestorm's arms and plummeted back down to earth.

"Is he suicidal?" Ronnie made another remark before rocketing in the same direction intending to intercept the blue Flash before he turns into a pancake.

"Come on…come on…" Barry mumbled to himself as they rapidly approached the ground.

At two hundred feet Barry began to spin his right arm rapidly creating a vortex beneath him to act as a large cushion. His left hand however was pointing back up at Firestorm and spinning in the opposite direction creating suction.

The second vortex circled around Firestorm. Ronnie gagged as it once again became difficult to breathe. Even with the ability to alter matter however he wanted he still needed concentration in order to pull it off, which was difficult when one he could not breathe and two he was in a mock vacuum with no matter for him to alter.

The flames around his head and hands died down as Firestorm passed out and plummeted one hundred feet to the ground.

"RONNNIE!" Cisco screamed in terror as he watched his friend fall from the sky.

Iris just clapped her hand over her gaping mouth as she watched Barry do such a thing to their friend.

"_RONALD! WAKE UP! RONALD!_" Professor Stein frantically cried out to his other half to regain consciousness but Ronnie refused to stir as he continued to descend.

Just before he hit the ground Barry raced over to them in a blue of blue lightning and caught Firestorm before he could become a red splotch on the asphalt. He showed no mercy as he slammed the already unconscious Firestorm into one of the S.T.A.R. Labs vans and ripped the Quantum Splicer from the Nuclear Man's chest.

Firestorm transformed into a swirling mass of fire and energy until he reformed as an Unconscious Ronnie Raymond and Martin Stein.

"…Ronald…" The professor said weakly as he tried to jostle the younger man awake.

Barry looked down at the Quantum Splicer before tossing it into the air and striking it with a vibrating hand turning the device into scrap metal.

He looked down at the two halves of Firestorm with nothing but disdain for Ronnie Raymond. Ronnie had unintentionally hurt Caitlin the most out of everyone. If it weren't for him she would have never gotten intimate with Hunter Zolomon/Jay/Zoom.

"You've caused Caitlin so much pain Ronnie." Barry began to vibrate his hand; he knew what he had to do to protect Caitlin emotionally.

"BARRY! WAIT! STOP!" Cisco cried out but Barry didn't stop as he thrust his hand through Ronnie's chest.

At the same moment Stein clutched his heart in pain. It didn't feel like his heart was being ruptured, instead it just felt like there was something in his chest.

Barry ignored the screams coming from both Professor Stein and Cisco begging him to stop. He wanted Ronnie to suffer, which was simple when you could vibrate at the frequency of air and send electrical currents through a nervous system.

Ronnie's jolted awake and screamed out in pain as Barry increased the voltage and lowly cupped his hand around Ronnie's heart. The lightning was making it beat faster and faster with each passing second at the current rate Ronnie was going to die from a literal broken heart.

"BARRY STOP!" Barry's ears perked and he looked over his shoulder to see Iris behind him, horrified of what he was doing.

"Iris…" he could barely say her name as just seeing her so disappointed in him made his heart seemingly shatter.

"What are you doing Barry? Ronnie…he's done nothing wrong…and even if he did he doesn't deserve to die…" Iris could not control her tears.

Slowly Barry withdrew his hand from Ronnie's chest leaving the younger half of Firestorm gasping for his life as the older Flash turned towards the love of his life.

"You don't understand Iris…Ronnie…he's hurt Caitlin too much!"

"Hurt Caitlin? What are you talking about?" Ronnie breathed out. "I would never hurt her…"

Barry angrily turned back to Ronnie. "SHUT UP!" He knew nothing of the pain he caused Caitlin and honestly if it weren't for him Barry and Caitlin might have gotten together much sooner, after all, that bastard Hunter might not have wormed his way into Caitlin's fragile heart. "You just had to go and be a hero didn't you Ronnie?" Barry yelled at the man. "If you weren't so damn selfless Caitlin would never get so hurt! You're too selfless Ronnie! You don't deserve anyone!" Barry readied his hand once more to kill the physical half of Firestorm, but Iris moving on adrenaline moved between Barry and Ronnie with her arms spread wide to protect Ronnie.

"Barry! Stop! Please…" She ordered. Thankfully Barry stopped his arm centimeters away from Iris' chest. Had he been one millisecond slower he would have undoubtedly killed the love of his life.

Barry was at a complete loss for words. In his rage he almost killed Iris to try and kill Ronnie. Was that what he had become? A murderer who kills his own friends just to make his own life better? He dropped his hand and took a few steps backward as Cisco rushed over to Ronnie and Stein.

Iris took a step forward to try and close the distance between her and Barry but Barry didn't want his blood soaked hands to sully Iris' purity. "Iris…please…stay away from me…I'm a monster…"

"Barry…" Even though this was not her Barry he was still Barry. "Listen to me…you are not a monster…" She continued to approach him reaching out to gently cup the torched side of his face. He was so horribly injured that it reminded Iris of when Barry was initially struck by the lightning bolt. "You're Barry Allen…" She took a deep breath before the next four came out of her mouth. "The man I love…"

Iris's words made Barry freeze in place. Iris still loved him despite everything he had done, granted her love was slightly misplaced as Eddie was still alive. "Iris…I…" Barry's body moved on its own as he closed the distance between himself and Iris and gently cupped her face. Every emotion he thought was buried came back as the dike broke. He buried his head into her shoulder and let his tears fall.

* * *

Arriving once again at Central City General Hospital, Joe followed quickly as Caitlin was carted in with tubes and wires hooked up all over her, she was even intubated with one of the EMTs manually pumping air into her lungs.

"Detective, you have to tell us exactly what happened to her." One of the doctors asked as he pulled Joe aside while the remaining team carted Caitlin into the Emergency Room. "It's the only way we can save her life."

"I…I don't even know how to describe it. I was driving and we hit something that made us flip. The Flash pulled us out and-" Joe's hands ran through his hair.

"If you were in a car accident we need to assess the damage done to yourself Detective."

"I'm fine!" Joe fired back. "It's Caitlin that needs your full attention!"

"According to her file Dr. Snow was released from this very hospital not one hour ago, against my judgement."

"I know, and I'm sorry for taking her out but she was adamant about trying to help my son. She's his doctor!"

The Doctor gave Joe a slight look. "Alright Detective, We'll do what we can. But I've never seen injuries like this, there may be no guarantees."

"Just do what you can…" Joe breathed out as he looked through the small windows at the unconscious woman fighting for her life. If Caitlin didn't survive, Barry would blame himself for it, just like how he blames himself for the death of his mother. "…Come on Caitlin…you've got to pull through…for Barry…"

* * *

Meanwhile the present Barry chased after the Reverse-Flash. There was no way he was letting his mother's killer get away. They must have crossed every street in Central City twice before halting atop a roof.

"**_Isn't this fun Barry? Your mother's killer has been literally under your nose for the last year_**!"

"WHY?" Barry yelled "WHY DID YOU KILL MY MOTHER?"

"**_Do you really have to ask? It's because I hate you Barry."_** Thawne simply said. "**_Just when my life couldn't get any more perfect you always come along and ruin everything."_**

"Is that why you hate me? Because you blame me for all the bad shit in your life?"

"**_It doesn't matter Barry_**. **_Now that I have my speed back I don't need you anymore. I can go home on my own power_**."

Barry shook his head. "The only place you're going is a four by four cell in the Pipeline."

"**_The only way you'll ever put me in there is if you can catch me_**?" Barry made a move to latch onto his arch-rival but the man in yellow moved out of the way. "**_It's not that simple Barry, I'm now even faster than the last time we fought. Hell I'm probably faster than your damn Time Remnant_**."

"Time Remnant?" Barry was confused by what Wells, or Thawne was saying.

**_"That's right you haven't learned about them yet, and quite frankly you never will learn, since both versions of you will be dead soon."_** Thawne vanished in a whirlwind of red lightning followed shortly by a stream of yellow electricity following closely behind him.

"THIS ENDS HERE!" Barry yelled. Thawne turned around and began to run backwards , still moving just a little faster than Barry.

"**_You're such an angry boy Barry. Perhaps they are some unresolved mommy issues? Maybe they come from the failure of being unable to get your father out of prison. Or you are angry because Iris doesn't reciprocate your love because she loves my ancestor."_**

"YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHO I AM!"

Barry chased after his old mentor trying to keep pace with the older speedster but the more experienced man proved to be his better, which made Barry push himself harder to little avail.

"**_I know everything about you Barry. I know everything you've done and everything you will do!"_** Thawne turned back around and began to run faster. "**_Like how I knew you would take the Velocity Drug Dr. Snow made. Even after it leaves your system you'll never be as fast as you were before you took it."_**

Barry's eyes widened. Caitlin was right about not wanting him to take it, but he didn't listen when she pleaded for him not to take it.

"You knew I would take it to save Caitlin and Joe from Grodd and my Time Remnant or whatever he is didn't you?"

"**_Guilty as charged."_** The Reverse-Flash bowed mockingly in Barry's direction. "**_I don't even need to make an attempt on your life anymore, you are already dying. I bet you can feel it, the need for more of the Velocity Drug, the need for more Speed. And sadly you won't feel the Speed Force leave your cells as they slowly degenerate and you become nothing more than a memory Flash_**!" Thawne laughed loudly to himself as he utilized more speed putting much more distance between himself and Barry.

Barry was desperately trying to keep up and at the same time he was definitely feeling exactly what the Reverse-Flash was just describing. He needed more.

Suddenly something out of the corner of his left eye drew his attention. He looked over his shoulder to see what looked like him only coated in blue lightning before it vanished just as quickly as it appeared.

When he returned his gaze to the front the Reverse-Flash was gone, but Barry knew where they were heading, he'd been on this road a million times before, back to S.T.A.R. Labs.

When he arrived back on scene he saw Iris craddeling the older version of himself and it made him feel extremely jealous despite knowing that it was still him, just ten years into the future. But it made him wonder about Eddie. If he was Wells' ancestor then if something happened to Eddie then the Reverse-Flash might not exist anymore and that would mean his mother would not be killed.

Thinking to himself a little too much Barry failed to notice the clothesline Thawne used on his exposed chest. The Reverse-Flash took the opportunity to move so fast even Barry was frozen in midair as he proceeded to give the Flash the beat down of his life beating within an inch of his life.

When time returned to its normal flow Barry was thrown around like a ragdoll as he felt hundreds of blows striking him across his body until he felt a strong foot slam into his chest and pin him to the ground.

"**_You have no idea how long I've waited to choke the life out of you Barry. For fourteen years I've stalked you and fought the urge to race over to you and watch the life leave your eyes. And now I can finally do that_**!" The Reverse-Flash reached down and wrapped his right hand around Barry's neck as sinister glee spread over his face.

"BARRY!" Iris screamed horrified about what was happening to her best friend.

Cisco, Ronnie and Professor Stein were also horrified seeing Dr. Wells strangling Barry with just one arm.

The Blue Flash ran around STAR Labs as fast as he could, generating a gargantuan amount of energy. He was going to kill Thawne, nay obliterate him. The world nearly halted as he came back around while Thawne held Present-Barry by the throat. "This is for Iris." He threw his arm forward and with a thunderous boom a large bolt of lightning flew towards the Reverse-Flash.

Eobard Thawne saw this coming however. With a sick grin he tossed Barry to the ground, flashed over and grabbed Iris before returning to the path of the oncoming energy using Iris as a human shield.

Both Barrys looked on horrified as the bolt approached the woman they loved. Milliseconds before it could strike Iris; Thawne released her and moved a safe distance away but left her to take the full brunt of the lightning.

Iris's world grinded to a halt as she watched the lightning slowly approach her and she while she thought she would see her life flash before her all she could think about was Barry, her Barry. He glanced over towards him, she wanted to tell her Barry she loved him, but she never did as the lightning cut through her head.

"IRIS!" Present Barry and Future Barry screamed in unison as the young woman fell to the ground in a smoking heap. The present Barry managed to make it over to Iris and catch her before she hit the ground.

He cradled her still form hoping this wasn't real. "Iris? Iris please…wake up…" he could not stop the tears that dripped from his eyes and stuck to her charred flesh.

Thawne just looked at Barry cradling Iris' body feeling nothing for the dead woman. To him she had been dead ever since she rejected him.

* * *

**September 7 2031 - Original Timeline**

Eobard Thawne shuddered nervously in front of the door. a bouquet of roses concealed behind his back as he waited for his date to open the door, which she did moments later giving him a great brilliant smile.

"Barry! You're home!" She embraced the man she thought was her husband and kissed him passionately which he returned in kind.

"Of course I'm home Iris, I'll always come home to you. Now come on." He held out his arm for her to take. "Let's go."

"Go? Go where?"

"Anywhere." 'Barry' replied. "I'll take you any and everywhere. You want to go to Paris in 1889? Or perhaps see the first production of _Romeo and Juliet_ in 1597? You just name it and I'll take you there."

Iris smiled fondly at Barry. "As long as I am with you Barry I couldn't care when or where we are. And so long as Dawn and Don are with us. I cannot bear a moment that our family is not together."

"I know the perfect place for us to go." Thawne took her hand and in a split second they stood outside of S.T.A.R. Labs.

"Barry? Why are we at S.T.A.R. Labs?"

"You said you wanted to know where I was for five year. Well I was sent to the future Iris."

"The Future?" She looked at him with a questioning look. "You really were in the future for five years?"

"Yes!" 'Barry' spoke with an excitement that could not be easily described. "Come with me to 2187. It's absolutely perfect. No crime, no disease, nothing bad happens there. Society is perfect."

"But, what about my Dad, and your parents? We can't just pack up everything and leave them."

"Don't worry about them Iris, just let me take care of everything. You won't even need to bring anything with you." He reached out and roughly grabbed her arm. "Come with me now!"

Iris barely registered what was happening. In the moment he touched her there was a burst of blue light drawing the attention of Iris and 'Barry.'

"MOM!" Reaching through the light were two people, who looked like adult versions of Dawn and Don. "DON'T LISTEN TO HIM! HE'S NOT DAD! HE'S-" Before they could get out another word the light vanished leaving a shell-shocked Iris and Thawne.

She turned to him and looked at him, I mean really looked at him taking in each and every feature of him she could see that he truly was not Barry. "You…you're not Barry…who are you?"

"Iris don't be ridiculous. It's me Barry." Thawne said he tried to get close to her but Iris just slapped him across the face. "Iris…"

"DON'T LIE TO ME!" Iris yelled as she backed away from him. Tears were flowing from her eyes. This definitely was not Barry. "WHO ARE YOU?"

'Barry' sighed. "I suppose it's time I come clean Iris…My name is Eobard Thawne, I'm-" he never finished his sentence as Iris cut him off with another slap. When he looked back up, clutching his cheek, Iris was making a break for it.

Red lightning crossed her path as Thawne skidded to a stop in front of her. Iris was terrified and Thawne had no idea why.

"Iris, please let me explain…"

"Get. The. Hell. Away. From. Me." Iris emphasized as she tried to shove him out of her way in an effort to. "You Monster."

Thawne froze. Iris thought he was a monster despite all the good he's done for her and the Gem Cities. "…Iris…"

"Get away from me!" Thanwe grabbed Iris' wrist and Iris felt the energy surge around her as the man who was clearly the Reverse-Flash carried her through the streets of Central City before stopping outside S.T.A.R. Labs. "LET ME GO!"

"Trust me Iris. This is for your own good, come with me."

"Let me go!" Iris sobbed as she pulled against Thawne's tight grip.

Thawne's expression softened slightly as he loosened his grip allowing Iris to wrestle her hand free leaving Eobard Thawne standing shocked as she ran away. Why had Iris rejected him? Everything was going so well for them. Why'd those two little bastards have to show up and ruin it?

-**Professor Thawne, perhaps we should return to 2187 before we alter the timeline any more-** the computer's voice snapped Thawne's attention

"No, I'm not going back to my time, not without Iris." Thawne was adamant about Iris. He loved her. No one else made him feel this way, and things had been going decently to say the least with Dr. and Mrs Allen, Detective West and Dawn and Don.

-**Professo-** Eobard shut Gideon down not wanting to hear her trying to make him return to the Future. There was nothing left for him there, his life was here.

He raced after Iris, grabbing her in a whirlwind of crimson lightning before disappearing into S.T.A.R. Labs, he hit a few switches and engaged to Particle Accelerator despite the protests from all the scientists present such as Harrison Wells and Tess Wells.

He headed down into the pipe line and began to run at high speeds ignoring Iris' protests as he ran towards an oncoming hydrogen particle.

The portal fluctuated violently after the young Reverse-Flash disappeared. Dr. Wells and his wife began to throw switched and hit keys in an attempt to close the ever expanding portal as the polarity began to draw all things in around it.

"SHUT IT DOWN!" Wells yelled out but it was futile as the portal continued to devour the Particle Accelerator and several dozen employees, atomizing everything as it did, before collapsing on itself.

Wells turned to his wife and let out a sigh of relief. "Oh…thank-"

**KABOOOOOOOM** Suddenly there was a massive explosion that tore the entirety of S.T.A.R. Labs and an additional three mile radius to shreds, leaving the Central City, once the sparkling center of scientific achievement as a smoldering ruin.

* * *

**Present Time – Current Timeline**

Barry cradled Iris' body close to his chest rocking her still body back and forth. It wasn't fair. Everything was always taken from him. First his mother, then his father, then his own life and now Iris, they were all taken from him far too soon without any warning.

Anger boiled inside Barry's soul. He hated The Reverse-Flash for everything he did and he hated seeing a future version of himself, mocking him as what his life is destined to be. He gently laid Iris on the ground and turned to Cisco and Firestorm. "Watch over her, please."

"Of course." Cisco nodded somberly.

"**_Catch me Barry_**" Eobard Thawne mocked Barry before vanishing leaving a blazing trail of Crimson.

Gold electricity flashed in his eyes and Barry ran after the murderer of his mother. Every time he thought he could reach him the Reverse-Flash just gave him a mocking grin and took off even faster forcing Barry to continuously push his body further and further.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Barry screamed in rage as he felt his muscles ache and his breathing became labored. There was a flash of light and Barry looked over his shoulder to see his older self-right next to him keeping stride with the young Flash.

"Get Behind me!" The older Flash commanded. His tone left no room for arguments but it wasn't like Barry wanted to even entertain what he had to say since he was responsible for Caitlin's current condition and indirectly responsible for Iris' death. In fact he found himself responsible for everything that has happened both the good and the bad.

"SHUT UP! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT" Barry screamed trying to take a swipe at the Blue Flash but the sapphire speedster just moved in front of him. Blue electricity arced off the older flash and cascaded onto the young Flash.

Barry-2025 knew that after taking the Velocity Drug Barry's connection to the Speed Force had been diminished inhibiting the young flash from achieving his potential there was only one permanent way to reverse its effects, but that was not an option. By throwing his younger-self into his slipstream and sharing his lightning Barry could temporarily provide his younger self with enough speed to do what needed to be done.

"Yes, it's all my fault…but that doesn't mean I'll stop trying to fix everything." Barry gazed at the scarred visage of the Blue Flash, the gears in his head slowly clicked into place as he realized what the older Barry wanted him to do.

Barry felt himself getting faster than ever before just by being behind his older self and riding in his slipstream. The wind and lightning cascaded over him as Barry took it all in. It was like he just discovering his speed all over again, it was liberating. The old Flash reached behind him and grabbed Barry by his right hand and without a word he threw him towards the Reverse-Flash.

Thawne glanced over his shoulder but was not shocked by their attempt at trying to catch him. It was too simplistic and straight forward, it would never work to catch the Reverse-Flash, the man who virtually had all of time at his fingertips.

Barry stretched his arm out desperate to grab onto the man in the yellow suit but just as he was about to touch Thawne there was a flash of blue light.

* * *

The next thing Barry knew he was alone in the middle of a street with no sign of the Reverse-Flash or the Future-Flash.

"Oh man…" Barry breathed out completely exhausted. "Did I…?" He surveyed his surroundings and determined exactly when and where he was. He turned to STAR Labs knowing what he needed to do.

As Barry raced off to stop his mother's killer once and for all he failed to notice crackles of yellow and blue lightning trailing him and remaining suspended in motion as he ran.

* * *

Please tell me what you liked, didn't like, look forward to/think will happen, or your general thoughts and comments, this'll help me make this story better; I'm a big boy so I can take criticism. And if you Review, Favorite or Follow you get a Shout Out and questions answered either privately or in the next chapter.

**MORE REVIEWS, FAVORITES AND FOLLOWS MEAN I WILL TRY TO UPDATE SOONER.**

Have a Fantastic Day or Night


	18. The Last Chance to Save Them

**Disclaimer:** The following is a nonprofit Fan based story; The FLASH and all related characters are owned by DC comics, the CW and anyone I may have missed.

As Always special shout outs to Favorites, Followers and Reviews even though there weren't too many of you this time;

Favorites: **namikaze93600, theundeadhero95, changingdestiny40, superswasy, Pokemaster105,**** Arrowman Darkknitex **and** Awesomeness2502**

Followers: **parkour666, chimera629, TsubakiUzumaki, Pokemaster105, Arrowman ****Skychild101 **and** .412**

Reviewers: **AReiss215, changingdestiny40, persin, Arrowman, Johnny Appleseed, .412, spiderman1fan **and **guest**

**persin:** Don't worry, Time Travel is almost always confusing so I'm assuming you are not the only one.

**Johnny Appleseed: **Yeah, the Ray thing was a little awkward. I mean just when everything is going right an indigo ring flies in and takes possession of Dr. Palmer.

**Guest: **Yup I'm a dude and thanks for your support.

Remember the more people favorite, follow or review the faster I will update like say 7 reviews I will try and update in a week after I get back from my trip to Europe, depends how fast I can write and how much real life bends me over and *BEEP* me in the $$.

I apologize that this took so long but I wanted it to be perfect or as perfect as possible.

* * *

_The Flash: Rewriting History_

Chapter 18: The Last Chance to Save Them

* * *

Barry ran after the Reverse-Flash, this time he knew exactly what not to do. He could not get distracted, not even for one millisecond. He ran after Thawne feeling faster than he felt before. His once yellow lightning now a dazzling blue like it had been when he took the Velocity Drug.

Thawne turned around and held out his arm in an attempt to clothesline Barry's neck but the scarlet speedster dropped to his knees and slid harmlessly beneath the arm, leaving the Reverse-Flash slightly stunned.

Barry didn't stop for a minute as blue lightning flashed around him and he delivered a punch to Wells' lower right side. Slightly dazed Thawne barely reacted when Barry delivered another uppercut to his jaw sending a shock throughout his body.

Eobard Thawne was confused. Barry should not be moving fast enough to avoid every blow let alone keep pace with him especially after taking the Velocity Drug.

"_**How?"**_ Thanwe questioned. "_**You shouldn't be able to keep up with me! The Velocity Drug it's tearing away your connection to the Speed Force**_!" Barry said nothing instead he subtly looked over at his Time Remnant.

That's when Thawne noticed the slight flicker of blue lightning. "_**Oh? Did he do something to you? Doesn't matter, I'll still kill everyone.**_"

"You're not going to kill them. You're not going to kill them ever again!" Thawne smiled with blood soaked teeth as Barry made a move to punch him again but this time Thawne caught it much to Barry's shock.

"_**I think I'll first kill your precious Iris. I've already done it before, though it was later in her life**_."

Barry threw another punch but Thawne moved out of the way once more before leading Barry up the side of the Laboratory.

Everyone on the ground watched as the two speedsters began to race around the circular roof of S.T.A.R. Labs leaving a cyclone of red and yellow lightning in their wake.

"Barry's keeping up with Wells!" Cisco cried out happily.

"That…that should be impossible…" The older flash whispered. "He can't be fast enough to defeat him. And his lightning…" Only Iris seemed to notice what he was saying as she watched small arcs of blue mix with the yellow lightning of the scarlet speedster

Iris turned to the man in blue surprised by his words. She was about to say something when she saw the yellow lightning get thrown off the roof before being followed by the red electricity.

Like a deadly tornado of fire the two speedsters plummeted from the roof and smashed into a vacant STAR Labs Mobile Lab Van.

"BARRY!" Iris screamed hoping her best friend was ok.

"_**Once Iris is dead then I'll kill Cisco, Ronnie and the Professor**_._** I'll even kill Detective West, your father and Caitlin! I'll kill them all before you stop me**_" Thawne turned around and punched Barry; the Flash retaliated with an uppercut and grabbed a hold of Thawne.

"_**Oh Barry, You may be fast, but you aren't fast enough to stop me. You seem to have forgotten the basic principle of Speed from Elementary school."**_ Thawne punched Barry in the jaw then, after grabbing the back of his cowl, slammed the Flash's face into his knee while it was moving somewhere between 0mph and Mach 1. "_**Allow Professor Zoom to teach you**_!"

* * *

**June 21 2187 - Original Timeline **

Eobard Thawne skidded to a halt standing before the woman he brought from the past. Every attempt he made to talk with her seemed to fall on deaf ears as she only ignored him. Iris West-Allen was even starving herself by the evidence of all the uneaten meals still sitting on the table.

Thawne pulled off his crimson cowl as he approached Iris. "You have to eat Iris."

"Leave me alone…" For the first time in several weeks Iris had finally spoken to him and while her words said one thing Eobard smiled at the small victory.

"There's no reason for those words Iris." He stalked towards her like a hungry predator. "I'm not going to hurt you. I would never do that. So you can see why I don't understand your disdain for me."

"You kidnapped me!" Iris fired back. "You stole me from my kids! Because of you my husband's g-" Iris began to choke on her tears as she recomposed herself. She refused to show weakness in front of this man.

Thawne crouched down to her level and gently reached for her chin so that he could look into her beautiful eyes. "I may have plucked you from your time Iris, but this is a much better world. You'll see." He moved to wipe away one of her tears but she shied away from his touch leaving him perplexed. "Give it some time." Thawne stood up. "I'm going to go out there now, Central City needs the Flash."

"You are not fit to wear Barry's suit…" Iris said as he turned to leave making him stop. "You'll never earn the right to be called The Flash."

Eobard turned around. Iris could not read the emotions on his face. Hurt? Sock? Anger? Dozens of emotions appeared and scurried away from his face within seconds. "What did you say?"

"I said you'll never be the Flash." Iris fired back. "You're a monster Thawne." His name escaped her lips carrying more venom than she had intended, but she didn't care. She wanted him to understand just how much she hated him.

Thawne didn't know how to respond. Instead he just disappeared in a flurry of yellow lightning.

* * *

**Present Time – Current Timeline**

"_**How could you have forgotten Barry? I thought you were a man of science**_!" Thawne grabbed Barry's neck and slapped him several times. "_**Speed is a function of both Distance AND Time! You may be able to cover vast distances, and your Remnant is the fastest of all three of us but Time is MINE NOW**_!" Barry spit out some blood into Thawne's face.

Thawne callously smirked at Barry just before wiping the blood from his face. "_**Just for that I think once I finish killing everyone you love I'll go back and do it again and again and again**_!" Thawne grabbed Barry just after kneeing his face and hauled him the rest of the way to S.T.A.R. Labs dangling the dazed speedster in front of his friends and time remnant.

"BARRY!" Iris squealed in shock at the sight of her best friend. She wanted to run to him despite the danger The Reverse-Flash imposed but a firm hand on her shoulder from Cisco held her in place.

"IRIS WAIT!" Cisco yelled as he held her back from doing something stupid.

"Professor we've got to form Firestorm now!" Ronnie yelled turning to the older man.

"I'm sorry Ronald but without the Quantum Splicer to regulate Firestorm there is no telling what will happen to us or the city." Stein said. "You do remember what happened last time we were fused without the Splicer?"

"That may be a risk we have to take!" Ronnie held out his hand for Stein to take but the older man hesitated when he saw Ronnie clutch his chest, that and he felt a slight tingle as well. It didn't go unnoticed by everyone.

"Ronnie…" Cisco said before he and Iris both instinctively looked towards the older Barry who was sulking after they had stopped him from killing Ronnie.

Stein immediately moved to help Ronnie. "Easy there Ronald. Neither of us has recovered from our altercation with Flash!"

"We can't just sit here and do nothing." Ronnie argued. "We've got to form Firestorm!"

"Not without knowing the potential consequences!"

"There's no time to think about us! We have to help!" Stein hesitated before he slowly reached for Ronnie's hand but Barry grabbed his wrist.

"No!" Barry knew what could happen if they were to improperly fuse, and that would hurt a lot of people, especially Caitlin since Ronnie would once again be a prisoner in his own body until Firestorm explodes. He couldn't let that happen. "You can't fuse without the Quantum Splicer!"

"Then what can we do?" Ronnie demanded of the older Flash causing Barry to look at his feet as if they were the most interesting thing in the universe.

"Barry is there anything you can do?" Iris asked the older Flash. He looked up at her; Iris thought he looked so broken that he might not be able to do anything.

"I…I don't know anymore…" The older Flash whispered. "When we fought earlier Barry had taken an extremely dangerous drug called Velocity 9 when I'm from. Despite making him faster in the short term it has contaminated his connection to the Speed Force."

"OK while I can't deny Velocity 9 is a sexy name, why the hell would Barry take it and who would give it to him?" Cisco asked.

"My best guess is Caitlin synthesized the drug but Barry took it of his own accord. As a physician Caitlin would never administer a drug without knowing all the effects." Barry noticed Ronnie's smile and it pained him. Ronnie still loved Caitlin; no doubt Caitlin still loved Ronnie even with his meddling.

Ignoring the look in the eyes of his friends Barry forced himself to his feet. He knew what he had to do for their sakes and his.

The reverse-Flash stood there for a moment as the crimson electricity built up around him. He was going to kill everyone in the time it took Barry to fall to the ground and he knew that with his heightened perception of time Barry was going to witness every excruciating moment of it.

"_**Now watch Flash as I kill each and every one of them**_." Everyone watched with bated breaths as Thawne released Barry and dropped him to the ground.

He charged forward at speeds he hadn't hit in fourteen years as he raced towards Iris with his hand poised to run her through the heart. He smirked victoriously but his smirk quickly turned as a stream of blue lightning got between him and Iris resulting in another body taking Thawne's hand through the right shoulder. The older time displaced Barry had jumped between Thawne and Iris just as Thawne's arm phased through Barry's right shoulder severing the tendons, muscle, bone and nerves in his arm.

"BARRY!" Iris screamed as the flow of time returned to its normal consistency for the speedsters.

The young reporter was too transfixed on Barry and his wound that she failed to notice the vibrating hand millimeters away from her rapidly beating heart.

Thawne was so stunned by the blue Flash's action that he instinctively withdrew his hand but Barry gripped it tightly as white lightning gathered around the old Flash's left hand.

"_**What are you…"**_ Thawne looked down to the lightning clad hand flying for his chest. "_**NO STOP! YOU'LL KILL US BOTH!**_"

"I'm already dead anyway Thanwe." Barry looked past his enemy and shared a look with his younger self, a look that said 'Take care of them for me.'

The moment Barry grabbed the red and black symbol a storm of Red and blue lightning erupted from the time travelers. Before any of the lightning could hit Iris, Cisco Ronnie or the professor, The Flash of Today raced in and moved each and every one of them to safety.

"Are you guys OK?" Barry asked his friends

"We're fine but the other you…" Cisco began to say but the violence of the Electrical storm intensified.

"What the hell is happening?" Ronnie asked

"It appears that having two time displaced speedsters is causing some kind of temporal backlash." The older half of Firestorm said.

"I've seen this before. It happened once when I touched my older self. That's why half his suit is messed up and why his face is burned." Barry quickly explained.

**ZZRKRAKK! **The Electrical storm built to critical levels before exploding violently sending all different colors of electricity in all directions.

Everyone shielded their eyes from the explosion while Barry instinctively put his body between Iris and the storm.

The Flailing electricity struck nearly everything barely missing every one as flurries of sparks erupted all around their points of impact.

* * *

Meanwhile in the hospital Joe was standing just outside Caitlin's room. The surgeons managed to close the wound on Caitlin's chest. There had been a few close calls where Caitlin's heart kept flat lining. To counteract her fluctuating heartbeat, the doctors opted to cool down Caitlin's body so as to slow her body functions.

Seeing Caitlin like this reminded Joe heavily of Barry's condition after he was struck by the lightning. Perhaps there was a chance that whatever happed to Caitlin made her the same as Barry, unlikely but still possible.

The Detective couldn't help but let his mind wander to the possibility that Caitlin can wake up and be even more similar to Barry. There was no denying that the two of them shared a connection born from the loss of loved ones and Joe couldn't help but feel worried, not just for Caitlin, but for his son and daughter. When this ordeal was over things were definitely going to be different.

Inside the room Dr. Snow's right hand twitched as a spark of something blue danced across her fingers as her heartbeat fluctuated slightly, not enough to garner attention from the doctors. Slowly but surely her eyes fluttered open, for an instant her brown eyes held a blue hue to them before they grew heavy and Caitlin drifted off again.

* * *

The lightning dissipated leaving a smoldering crater in the middle of the parking lot.

The older Flash lay sprawled on the ground. His legs were bent at odd angles and the entire lower extremity of his left arm had been eviscerated by the Speed Force Feedback. He couldn't feel anything below his neck either, evidence of a shattered spine and unfortunately for him Eobard Thawne stood over him virtually unharmed by the ordeal.

"Damn…" Barry barely managed to whisper as his mortal enemy began to vibrate his own hand.

"_**That was a close one Barry, you would have mortally wounded me had I not withdrawn my hand from your shoulder."**_

"Gideon…Initiate repairs…" Barry commanded his VI. He gritted his teeth in pain as he felt thousands of tiny needles injecting into his spine and anywhere else where bone muscle and nerves had been severed.

"_**You think I'm going to let your suit help you recover Barry? Think Again!"**_ Thawne stomped his foot into Barry's chest, cracking several of the downed speedster's ribs. "_**You're proving to be quite the nuisance that's what you've always been even when you were dead you still got in my way**_!"

* * *

**June 22 2187 – Original Timeline**

Eobard Thawne stood on high atop the Bridge that straddled the mighty Missouri River overlooking the Gem Cities.

Why had Iris said he was unfit to be the Flash? He loved and adored the man. Barry Allen was everything he aspired to be and yet the woman who stole Barry's heart was denying him everything that should be his.

"I'll show Iris. I'll show her my love for her." He looked down at his crimson suit. "Until I prove to her I am worthy of being the Flash I'll respect her thoughts." In a cyclone of red fabric and yellow lightning Eobard was no longer wearing the signature scarlet suit. "And make a name for myself as my own Flash."

Three minutes later Eobard Thawne was tearing it up through the streets of both Central City and Keystone City in a completely yellow suit. Even though all crime was non-existent in the 22nd century Thawne did the best he could, anything illegal warranted his attention from j-walkers to litterers he was going to impose the Flash's brand of justice on all criminals.

Of course vigilantism was illegal so the mayors of the Gem Cities unleased the full force of the police departments and ARGUS down on the yellow speedster, but there was nothing any of them could do against the man in yellow he was too fast.

Thawne did not like this. Everyone was stepping on his toes every time he did something to impress Iris and get her to profess her love for him.

It took him only a week. One week for him to subdue the police and remove the mayors from power. In one week he presented Iris the Gem Cities on a silver platter.

"Look what I've gotten you Iris." Iris looked up when a flicker of golden electricity fluttered across her field of vision. He grabbed her and brought her to the balcony overlooking the Gem Cities, His Cities. "Everything you see is yours!"

"Leave. Me. Alone." Iris seethed at the man in yellow. This man had been a pain in Barry's ass for years. Barry even broke the Reverse-Flash's neck on their wedding day when he tried to kill her.

"You don't really mean that Iris. Just look at what I've given you. I give you the Gem Cities! We can rule them together! And you will forget about Barry Allen! I'll see to that!"

Iris watched completely stunned as Eobard Thawne raced around the city. The Flash museum, built in Barry's honor, burned to the ground. The statue of the Flash in the middle of Central City Park melted into a pile of molten metal. Both Police stations went up in smoke and flames. The Bridge spanning the Missouri River shook violently as Thawne raced back and forth across it until it collapsed into the water dragging down throws of people.

It was horrifying to see so much death and destruction the Reverse-Flash was causing in her name. "…Barry…I wish you were here…to save me…"

Fortunately for Iris her wish was about to be granted.

* * *

**Present Time – Current Timeline**

"_**Goodbye Flash**_!" Thawne mercilessly plunged his hand towards his enemy ready to rupture the man's heart but he never got the chance as a young speedster clad in red attacked him.

Barry shoved his whole body into Thawne kneeing him in the chest and knocking the Reverse-Flash to the ground. He grabbed the Reverse-Flash by the collar of his suit and landed a punch across the man's face. But Barry was not done, with his grip tightly around Thawne's neck and slammed him into the side of one of the S.T.A.R. Labs Mobile Labs.

"You alright?" Barry asked The Time Remnant.

Barry-2024 looked down to see most of his injuries had been attended to with strong braces forming around his legs and a robotic hand replacing the one he lost.

"I'm fine…" Barry got back to his feet and stood next to his younger self between the Reverse-Flash and their friends.

"You got enough in you for one more race?" The younger Barry asked knowing that Barry might not be up to the task.

Lightning flickered in Barry's eyes as an answer to his younger self. "I've got enough to keep up with you kid."

With a cocky smirk the two Flashes ran at the Reverse-Flash who easily cast them aside.

"_**FOOLS**_! _**You cannot stop me with Speed alone! I can now manipulate Time, remember?"**_ With a glare the yellow speedster raced off leaving a trail of red electricity.

"We can't let him escape…" The Blue Flash groaned as he pushed himself up.

"I know that! He's gotta pay for what he's done to my Mom and Dad!"

"That's not what I mean; if Thawne were access the Speed Force to travel back to his time the stress on the Space Time Continuum will rip the fabric of existence and wipe out everything." He took off after the evil speedster leaving Barry in his dust.

"Oh…" Barry thought back to his older-self throwing him in the previous timeline to get back here. Hopefully that didn't cause too much damage to the Space Time Continuum. Barry then took off after the older speedsters. The lightning from the three speedster lingered in their wake as they began a new race.

* * *

As the battle outside the lab intensified Eddie Thawne's eyes opened slowly. His entire body felt like it was on fire making it excruciatingly painful to move. Fighting through the pain Eddie stood up, he had to protect Iris from his insane decedent.

He looked down at his scorched outfit and body, with the amount of burns covering his body there was no way Eddie should be alive.

"…Iris…" He looked around trying to get his bearings when he heard a small clink on the ground.

Resting at his feet was the ring his grandmother had given him to propose to Iris. Eddie's body began to shake as he reached down to pick it up. The metal of the ring felt cool but the blue stone felt like it was mage of magma. Eddie screamed as he tried to let go but he couldn't release it. Blue flames erupted from the stone and began to engulf Eddie's hand.

Eddie's screams grew louder and more frantic as he was consumed by fear while the flames raced up his arm before swallowing him in a cyclone of blue fire.

* * *

"What the heck?" Cisco asked as he turned to the brains of Firestorm hoping for some kind of explanation. "Why is their lightning still there?"

"I…I haven't the foggiest clue Cisco." Martine Stein replied. As a physicist he was fascinated that these three trails of lightning each seemed to be suspended in time, but at the same time it worried him as this was a phenomenon that none of them were familiar with.

"What do we do now? Is there anything we can do to help Barry?" Iris asked

"I don't think there's anything left for us to do." Ronnie tried to stand but he felt strange. Instinctively he clutched his chest in pain. Iris, who was next to him, helped sturdy the wounded man. "Thank you…"

"No problem." Iris replied giving Ronnie a soft smile. A thought suddenly entered her mind, something she should have thought about much sooner. "Oh my God…" She breathed out. "Eddie!" She turned towards S.T.A.R. Labs Her boyfriend was still inside the Lab and who knows what condition he was in. "I have to find Eddie!" She began to move towards STAR Labs but Cisco stood in her way.

"Whoa there Iris. Calm down. Look, Professor Stein and I will go get Eddie. You stay here with Ronnie."

She wanted to argue but she could not find the words. Instead, Iris wiped away a stray tear or two and nodded while she helped Ronnie lay back on the round to rest his weary body.

* * *

Please tell me what you liked, didn't like, look forward to/think will happen, or your general thoughts and comments, this'll help me make this story better; I'm a big boy so I can take criticism. And if you Review, Favorite or Follow you get a Shout Out and questions answered either privately or in the next chapter.

**SO I'M GOING ON A FAMILY VACATION TO EUROPE UNTIL AUGUST 21. I'LL STILL BE ABLE TO WRITE JUST NOTE TYPE OR UPDATE UNTIL I GET BACK SO** **7+ REVIEWS/FOLLOWERS/FAVORITES I'LL UPDATE WITHIN 7 DAYS OF WHEN I GET BACK!**

Have a Fantastic Day or Night


	19. One More Race

**Disclaimer:** The following is a nonprofit Fan based story; The FLASH and all related characters are owned by DC comics, the CW and anyone I may have missed.

Thank you to all of you who Reviewed, Followed or Favorited. I just selfishly wish I got more.

Reviewers: **Topherlee2, AReiss215, Immortalman18, changingdestiny40**, and **louvreangel**

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Followers: **louvreangel, Ciel Blaze, danyswan, SiParaluman, spectreofslytherin** and **Lazykid24**

Favorites: **Ciel Blaze, SiParaluman,** and **Dominus Furor**

So here we are in the home stretch. I plan to end this story in one to two chapters.

* * *

_The Flash: Rewriting History_

Chapter 18: One More Race

* * *

Horrendous pain tore through Barry's body with each step he took. By all accounts he should not be alive to help his younger self fight the Reverse-Flash. Broken spine, severed nerves, shattered bones and stripped muscles held together by hundreds of micro-bots, while his left arm had been rebuilt with a temporary faux hand.

He knew when he started this crusade he would not be returning to his own time but he never really imagined that he would end up like this, broken and dying. No matter what happens to him he had to take out the Reverse-Flash.

Lightning streams of red, blue and yellow illuminated the streets of Central City. Thawne looked over his shoulder and cackled. Finally, he would have his vengeance against the Flash, even if both of these speedsters weren't exactly the ones to screw him over.

Thawne immediately did a one eighty on a dime and raced back towards the Flashes with his arms out stretched to kill them.

The older Barry leaped over the outstretched arm as lightning coursed around him. At the same time the scarlet Flash slid just below Eobard's hand. When the youngest speedster was clear the older Barry unleashed a torrent of lightning at Thawne and hit him square in the back sending electrical surges through the evil speedster's body.

Thawne yelled in pain as he was momentarily stunned by the electricity.

"_**My mind works faster than yours Flash! You've had a decade to practice but I have had a lifetime**_! _**I can tell you every possible outcome you can think of before you even know what you'll do yourself.**_"

"THEN WE'LL THINK A LITTLE FASTER!" Barry threw half a dozen small rocks at the Reverse-Flash who effortlessly caught them all and threw them at the slower Blue Flash with one of them embedding itself into his left leg.

"AGH!" Barry-2024 felt his younger self grab him and haul him out of the way of the remaining projectiles.

"So, what do we do now?" Barry asked his older self.

"The Speed Force." The Blue Flash responded as he got his footing back and ran side by side with his younger self while the Reverse-Flash ran closely behind them. "It doesn't like when Speedsters mess with time."

"Like Thawne?" Barry asked ignoring the outburst from said Speedster. "And you?"

"Exactly like Thawne and myself, though its more upset with me since there are two of us occupying the exact same moment in all of time and space."

"So how do we stop him?"

"We don't, I do." Barry replied. "We cause another feedback like you did earlier when you burned me." Barry looked at the scorched face of his older-self, apparently this was how they were going to stop the man in yellow by having a speed bomb go off in his face and the older Barry was going to be the bomb.

"You tried that once and it didn't work." Barry eyed his older self's injuries. "You will definitely die if you do that again."

"Doesn't matter any way. I'm already dead. But if it means everyone else will be safe then I'll gladly give my life." Without so much as a warning The Blue Flash grabbed the emblem on Barry's chest. Yellow and Blue lightning violently began to lash out in all directions as the energy began to build up.

"_**Not this again Barry**_." The Reverse-Flash mocked. "_**This didn't even work the first time**_."

"That's because I was too concerned with everyone else being in the crossfire, but now I'll just walk you to hell myself." With the energy at its peak Barry pushed the young Flash out of the blast radius and lunged for Thawne.

With a smirk Thawne sidestepped. "_**You never quite learn do you Barry**_?" Blood crimson electricity arced all over Thawne's hands as he held one below Barry's head and the other above.

"_**Heh…heh…"**_ Thawne chuckled. "_**I've been waiting a long time for this Barry…**_" The Blue Flash was too stunned to react "_**You've Taken so many things away from me already Barry. My speed, my legs, my future, my cities, even the woman I loved…"**_ Thawne couldn't help but let his mind wander to the day he truly felt like he lost it all.

* * *

**July 12 2187 – Original Timeline**

Somewhere in the Gem City a small blue portal opened up and after a thunderous boom a man in a red suit emerged from the portal trailing a river of lightning behind him.

He looked around at all the destruction of his beloved home.

-_**People of Iris City! -**_ The man looked up at a large monitor where the visage of his mortal enemy addressed the city, Iris City. Barry thought the name was strange especially since that was the name of his girlfriend.

"Where the hell am I?" the man wondered aloud. The City was a strange sight indeed. The architecture was definitely futuristic so he could only guess that he might be in somewhere in the future.

-_**This is your humble ruler. As you all are aware today is the day of my wedding to my fiancé- **_Barry watched as the Reverse-Flash reached off camera and pulled Iris onto the screen. -_**Iris West-Allen-**_ As soon as Barry heard her name he froze. It was as if all the pieces of his life suddenly clicked together. And to think he was planning to propose to Iris next week. But she already seemed to be married to him. Time travel was hurting his brain.

"Iris…" Barry's heart welled up with emotion. Iris was in so much danger being in the grasp of Thawne. After all Thawne was a total asshole who constantly tried to either kill him or ruin his life. "Don't worry, I'm coming."

In a flash of yellow lightning and red fabric he made a mad dash around the city desperate to fine Iris and his mortal enemy.

Thawne stood on his balcony enjoying his Cities. He looked up to the sky and soaked in the last few rays of sunshine before they vanished behind fierce looking storm clouds.

"Looks like there's going to be a hell of a Storm." He looked back towards Iris who still refused to acknowledge him. "Oh, come on Iris, you can't possibly stay mad at me forever."

"Just leave me alone…" Iris hugged herself closely. Ever since she was brought here Eobard had made uncomfortable unwanted advances. He never actually did anything to her now or when he was masquerading as Barry.

Thawne rolled his eyes. "You know what I've just about had it with your attitude Iris!" He closed the distance between them and violently grabbed a fist full of her hair. "I've been nothing but good to you! And you just give me the cold shoulder!" He chuckled a little. "I mean we had something before. What could have possibly changed your mind?"

"You lied to me!" Iris yelled admits tears. "You took advantage of my broken heart and made it bleed even more!"

"I have done nothing but love you since we met! I never lied to you! You just assumed I was your husband! All I did was carry on his legacy as The Flash! I'm still doing that!"

"Barry's Legacy is his children! My Kids! They're the ones to carry on!" Thawne could not contain his anger as he violently slapped Iris knocking her to the ground. Slowly raising a hand to her lip Iris felt a small amount of blood. "You'll never be like Barry. You're nothing but a monster."

Something in Thawne snapped and he thrust a vibrating hand towards Iris's heart. Before he could kill her in a fit of rage Iris was suddenly gone as a trail of red fabric and yellow lightning raced past his face.

"Who!?" Thawne turned to see Iris in the arms of a man in a crimson suit like his own, granted his was a relic of a bygone era.

"Are you OK Iris?"

Iris looked up into her savior's eyes, the same eyes as Barry, but was this a trick? She had fallen for it before no way in hell was she going to fall for it again. "Who…who the hell are you?"

"Iris…it's me…" He removed his cowl revealing the face of Barry Allen, though he was much younger than he should be. If Iris were to hazard a guess he was only thirty meaning this Barry was in the early years of his career as the Flash. "Barry…"

Iris's eyes went wide. Somehow she just knew who this was. When Thawne masqueraded as Barry some part of her seemed to know that it wasn't Barry which is why she never went all the way with him. "Barry…" She reached up and cupped his face making sure this nightmare was turning into a good dream. Iris immediately wrapped her arms around him and held the Flash close terrified that he would disappear if she were to let go for even a second.

"Flash!?" Thanwe was completely stunned. Standing right in front of him was his idol. His hero. The man he aspired to be. A sense of wonder and joy swelled up within Eobard as he felt exhilarated by just being in his presence. He could help the smile that broke across his face as he slowly began to approach the Flash. "I…I can't believe it is really you…"

Barry slowly raised his head to see his mortal enemy and to Eobard's confusion anger spread across the hero's face. "You…" He growled menacingly. He was about to rush the man when Iris tugged on his suit.

"…Please Barry…" She whispered into the crook of his neck. "…please…just take me home…Take me somewhere he can't hurt us…"

"OK Iris…" Barry looked back to the Reverse-Flash. "We're not done here Thawne."

"You know name? How do you know my name!?" The young speedster yelled at his hero but the Flash ran out of the throne room carrying Iris in his arms. "Wait! I have so many questions! Flash! WAIT!" Thawne raced after His Idol and his love but he couldn't hold a candle to Barry's speed as he was left to follow the flickering lightning trail.

He power slid to a stop just behind The Flash and Iris as they stood in front of a machine Thawne knew all too well; The Cosmic Treadmill.

"Give me a minute Iris." Barry said as he put her down. "I've just got to make sure the Treadmill is good for me to take you home."

"WAIT!" Iris and Barry turned to see Eobard Thawne behind them.

"Just one more second Iris." Barry blitzed over to the young speedster and grabbed him by the collar of his yellow suit and pinned him into some equipment. "You bastard! You just can't leave us alone can you?"

Thawne was confused as to what his hero was yelling at him for. All he ever wanted was to be just like the Flash, he even fell in love. "Why…why do you sound like you hate me Flash?" Thawne asked.

"You're nothing but a monster Thawne! All you ever do is hurt the people that I care about!" Thawne felt a fire in himself as he shoved the Flash off of him.

There was a brief pause between the two speedsters before Barry rushed him once again only this time Thawne actually made a move to defend himself. "You make it sound like you know me Flash! Let me be perfectly clear! You! Don't! Know! Me!"

"I KNOW YOU THAWNE!" Barry screamed. "ALL YOU EVER DO IS RUIN LIVE JUST SO YOU CAN GET YOUR WAY! THAT'S WHY YOU'RE MY REVERSE!"

Eobard froze in place when he heard that word. During his time researching the Flash he had come across evidence of an evil speedster known as The Reverse-Flash. There was little to no information about him so Eobard hardly paid him a second thought.

But hearing The Flash call him his Reverse something clicked in him. It was as if a light went off over his whole life and everything suddenly made sense. Iris said he would never be like the Flash because he thought completely differently than the fastest man alive. Even his parents said something similar and shortly after that they were killed in an accident. Same thing happened to one of the women he fell in love with.

Taking advantage of the young Reverse-Flash's revelation Barry punched him hard across his jaw knocking him down and out. He turned back to Iris and gave her a smile.

"Come on Iris, I'll take you home now." She nodded. Barry carefully picked her up and began to run on the Treadmill. In a flash of blue light, they were gone and a few moments later Eobard Thawne woke up.

Immediately Thawne got onto the treadmill and began to run himself. He kept pushing himself desperate to open a wormhole to chase after Iris and the Flash but nothing was happening. Instead the Treadmill began to overheat and groan but Thawne ignored it. He continued to run despite all the warnings from the machine and from Gideon.

"I swear…I'll get you back Iris…If it's the last thing I-" Thawne never finished his statement as the Treadmill exploded. The surge of energy washed over the young Reverse-Flash. Stray lightning bolts scorched the arms, and lower half of his yellow suit turning them black as he was flung off his feet. The biggest change was that the young Reverse-Flash's lightning changed when exposed to the energy of the exploding treadmill, it changed from golden yellow into blood crimson.

Thawne picked himself off the floor, though he didn't rise any higher than his knees. He removed his cowl; somehow the explosion had returned his DNA to its original code so that he once more resembled the man known as Eobard Thawne.

"FLAAAAAASH!" He screamed the man's name in pure anger as he was left alone in the wreckage of his laboratory.

* * *

**Present Time – Current Timeline**

"_**But now, I'm going to take it all back**_!" As if it were containing all of Eobard Thawne's aggression and hate crimson lightning burst from his hands and straight through Barry's skull. With lightning moving at 1100 feet per second Barry only felt the attack for only 0.0009 seconds, but Thawne made it last a thousand times longer than normal with his temporal manipulation abilities.

"NO!" Barry screamed as he watched his older-self go limp and collapse to the cold ground. The energy from the Speed Force Feedback reacted violently as it was mixed with Thawne's red lightning. A second later it exploded swallowing everything in a thirty-foot radius.

* * *

Cisco and Professor Stein made their way through STAR Labs down into the Particle Accelerator. According to the scanner Cisco was carrying Eddie was down there, and he was not moving.

"So Dr. Wells is actually Detective Thawne's descendant?" Professor Stein asked.

"Well, based on this crazy vision I had and the short story we got from the Older Barry I'd say yes, Dr. Well…I mean, Eobard Thawne is actually Eddie's psychotic time traveling descendant. You know it doesn't sound that crazy when I say it out loud like that." Cisco mused as they opened the door to the main collision chamber.

Standing there completely unharmed was Eddie, though his cloths looked to be torn and burn.

"Eddie? Hey are you OK?" Cisco asked wearily as they approached the detective.

Eddie turned towards them with a blank look in his eyes. Cisco noticed the small ring in his left hand giving off a feint blue glow. "Hey Cisco…" Eddie said weakly before his eyes rolled in the back of his head and his body became affected by gravity.

Luckily Cisco and Professor Stein were close enough to catch the unconscious detective. "He needs medical attention Mr. Ramon." Martin argued.

"Yeah…too bad Caitlin's in the hospital, we really could use her skills right about now." Cisco slung one of Eddie's arm over his shoulder and Professor Stein followed suit. "Come on let's get him up to the medical bay so we can at least give him some rudimentary first aid."

As they carried Eddie out of the Particle Accelerator the building began to shake and a moment later everything went black as the door way sealed them in.

"Oh Frack"

* * *

Outside S.T.A.R. Labs Iris managed to help Ronnie to his feet. Despite his claims of being fine Iris was adamant about getting him either into the medical bay or to a hospital, after all having a hand shoved into your chest must not have been a good experience. It frustrated her that this was all she could do. Everyone working with the Flash brought something special to the table, but what did she bring? Emotional support? Her dad and Caitlin seemed to provide more of that than she did. Technical analysis? Again that was not only Cisco but also Professor Stein, Ronnie and formerly Dr. Wells. Iris was just a reporter girl that Barry has been crushing on for his entire life.

"Don't worry about me…" Ronnie's breath was still ragged as Iris slung his left arm over her shoulder to provide support. "Go find your boyfriend…I've got to get to Caitlin…" Ronnie was like a man on a mission that was almost complete. All that was needed of him was to return home, to Caitlin.

"You're in no condition to go anywhere Ronnie." Iris argued as she turned him back towards S.T.A.R. Labs. "What would Caitlin say to you if she were here?"

Ronnie cracked a small smile. "She'd tell me to get my ass into the medical bay so she can check me over to ensure there's no issues."

"Once you're squared away I'll call my dad about Caitlin, he's with her now."

"Thank you…"

Suddenly everything began to shake. Iris and Ronnie looked off as a blinding light flickered off in the distance and lightning arced dangerously in every direction. As if it were alive the small light died just as soon as it appeared but it took all the light with it, leaving Central City and its denizens in complete darkness.

"What was that?" Iris could help but feel like something horrible had happened to Barry. "Oh my god…" She breathed out fearing the worst. The sudden explosion of several nearby lights startled Iris to the point she yelped.

"Come on Iris." Ronnie said "We've got to go."

* * *

Barry's eyes shot open. He didn't know how long he'd been unconscious but the smell of smoldering flesh and burning asphalt and the sounds of hordes of screaming people had jolted him awake. He tried to move but found a decent piece of a building, roughly the same size as a small television set, was pinning his leg to the ground.

Using what little energy he had left Barry lifted the masonry off his leg and almost immediately wished he hadn't as feeling swelled back into the extremity. Two rebar's had punctured through his leg, one in his shin and the other through his quad.

"Okay…" Barry breathed as he gripped the first Rebar in his shin. "On the count of three…One…two…" On the count of two Barry pulled the piece of metal out of his leg. He'd figured it would have been for the best since he probably wouldn't have done it if he actually counted to three. "Ok…" He looked down to see the wound bleeding. "Ok…that's a lot of my blood…" Gritting his teeth Barry held the last rebar in his hands ready to yank it out. "One…" Barry didn't even get to 'two' as he pulled the metal out of his leg and immediately clapped his hand over the hole in his quad.

It was bleeding but not as badly as his shin. Means it missed his femoral artery and Barry was not willing to test how long it would take him to heal said artery.

Looking around Barry noticed a constant stream of blue lightning slowly drifting off into nothingness. He made his way over to it to find the older Barry. In an instant Barry ran to his older time remnant. The Older Flash looked as if he were made of pure blue energy and was slowly dissipating into the sky.

"Hey! Are you Ok? What happened? Where's the Reverse-Flash?"

"…I don't know if he made it out of the blast radius…but I don't have much time Barry…and there are things I need to tell you…" Barry crouched down next to the dying speedster. "I…I used to think that I could fix everything…Barry…I'm so sorry. I was arrogant and…desperate…please…whatever happens…don't try and rewrite history…"

"Don't talk, I can help you. We'll get you to STAR Labs and we-"

"It's too late for me Barry…" he held out the lingering form of his right hand. "I can only offer this…take my speed Barry…take it now before I return to the Speed Force…with it you can defeat Thawne…"

Barry hesitated at first but he took his older counterparts hand. The moment he touched it he felt the lightning surge through every cell in his body, super charging them beyond what he considered normal.

As he was super charged Barry began to see things. Visions of all the events his older-self had experienced.

_He saw Himself standing in front of a woman who looked like Caitlin aside from her navy blue leather outfit, pale skin, blue lips and eyes and her platinum blonde hair. She held a strange device in her hand before slapping it onto her left breast. _

"_Caitlin…" that Barry breathed_

"_Barry…I…I love yo-" Blond Caitlin never finished her sentence as she seemingly exploded in blue energy. _

_The scene shifted and he saw a man clad all in a white and decorated with golden lightning. Standing in front of the white speedster aside from a slightly older Barry, his cowl was removed and he looked a lot worse for wear._

"_**You're going to give me what I want Flash**__!"_

"_LET THEM GO!" Barry screamed "GIVE ME BACK MY FRIENDS!"_

"_**Never, not until I get**__-" The white speedster didn't finish as the memories shifted. _

_Again the scene shifted and Barry saw himself sitting on his old couch between his mother and father._

"_Mom…Dad…I really screwed up…"_

"_It's alright slugger."_

"_Oh my sweet baby boy. You know what you have to do…"_

"_But…if I turn everything back I'll lose-"_

_On last time the scene shifted and Barry saw himself standing over a set of graves that read Iris West-Allen, Nora Allen, Henry Allen, Donald West-Allen and Dawn West-Allen. There were other graves marked for Cisco, Ronnie, and some people named Wally West, Jessie Wells and Jay Garrick. _

"_Good-bye Iris…" Barry said as he kissed her gravestone. "I love you all…but I have to do this…for Cait…and all of you…"_

The memories stopped flowing as Barry stood alone in the crater. He could feel the hot tears trickle down his cheeks. Those memories were not his and yet they were. Perhaps they were a gift telling him how things were supposed to be instead of what he should avoid.

"_**So, the other you is finally dead."**_ Barry turned to see Thawne "_**One less Flash for me to kill.**_" Barry felt his rage build until he couldn't contain it any longer.

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" Barry rushed Thawne fueled by a plethora of emotion. Eobard was so caught off guard he failed to avoid Barry's fist.

Every time one of Barry's blows connected a memory flashed in his head.

"_My name is Jay Garrick, and your world is in Danger."_ Barry began his assault with half a dozen jabs that all landed on Thawne across his body.

"_Hang on Cait…Hang on… I'll get you out of here…" _A hook to Thawne's temple. Followed by another dozen alternating hooks hoping to rack Thawne's brain.

"_Iris West will you marry me?"_ An upper cut into the Reverse-Flash's gut.

"_So, how can Team Flash help Team Arrow with their Meta-human?" _Immediately following the gut punch with an uppercut to his jaw with his free arm.

"_CISCO!" _Barry landed several heavy blows to Thawne's liver until he felt the Reverse-Flash's ribs crack.

"_Dr. Snow, will you marry me? / Barry, I'm pregnant! What!? You're pregnant? / You want to get married? Yes! Wait! Stop that!" _The Flash lunged in towards Thawne as fast as he could, delivering a supersonic punch from three feet. Glass shattered and Thawne's body began to collapse to the ground.

"_When I'm done, I swear everything will be alright." _Barry roughly grabbed the heavily wounded Thawne and got into his face before landing several more crosses breaking the evil speedster's nose.

Almost completely satisfied, Barry tore the man's cowl off. "It's over Wells." Barry growled. "You're done! You won't hurt anyone else ever again!"

Thawne smiled through blood soaked teeth. "You think this is over Barry? It's never going to be over!" Barry raised his hand and began to vibrate it. He was ready to kill the Reverse-Flash. As much as he wanted to have him confess to the murder of his mother and exonerate his father Barry felt this nagging urge to kill the man. "Tell me Barry…will killing me get you your mommy and daddy back?"

Barry froze at Thawne's words and in a battle between speedsters a single moment of hesitation, no matter how short, was all that was needed to decide the outcome of any fight.

Thawne suddenly shot his right hand into Barry's chest, cupping the young speedster's heart.

"_**For fourteen years I've stalked you and fought the urge to race over to you and watch the life leave your eyes. And now I can finally do that**_!" The Reverse-Flash gave Barry's heart a light squeeze and a small shock causing the Flash to scream out in agony.

"_**I win Flash."**_ Thawne whispered into Barry's ear. He wanted the last thing Barry heard to be his voice mocking him for his failures. "_**I always win**_!"

Suddenly time froze for everyone; even for the two speedsters. There was a thunderous boom following a stream of blue-white lightning as it came hurling out of a small blue portal and violently grabbed Eobard Thawne and pulled him away from Barry.

It was so fast that Eobard didn't even register that he'd been moved away from Barry and slammed into the ground until he'd been there for a few milliseconds.

"_**What the-**_" He never finished his sentence as the blue lightning rushed past him and took a hold dragging him like a rag doll up the side of S.T.A.R. Labs before leaping off the highest point of the lab with Thawne in tow. For a brief millisecond Thawne found himself suddenly in what felt like a full nelson as he was plummeting stomach first into the pavement.

Lightning crackled around him and whoever was attacking him and an instant later he collided with the pavement and a massive explosion of electricity shot off in all directions frying everything in a fifty-meter radius.

Barry blinked once then twice as he tried to register what happened. One second Thawne had his hand shoved in his chest about to kill him and then suddenly the Reverse-Flash is gone and a large electrical storm is wrecking everything.

Smoke and stray flashes of lightning began to clear and standing over a broken Thawne was another speedster. This one was different than himself, The Reverse-Flash or even his Older Time Remnant, for starters this speedster was definitely female.

She wore a navy blue version of Barry's own crimson attire with the exception being a hole in the back for her hair to hang out in a ponytail. Gold strands accented her shoulders, sides, legs, and arms. In the center of her chest was the familiar lightning bold symbol that adorned Barry's own chest only with a white circle instead of a dark red one.

"_**Stay down Thawne**_." The female Speedster ordered. Thawne didn't comply so she punched him across his jaw several dozen times to ensure that he was knocked completely out.

Once he had been dealt with She turned around to the gawking speedster behind her.

"Who are you?" The Young Barry asked the mysterious speedster.

"_**You alrea**_dy know who I am Barry." Her voice stopped vibrating and all could hear it clearly. There was only one person they all knew who sounded like that.

"Caitlin?" Barry asked unsure of the answer.

The female speedster proceeded to remove her cowl showing her face to her friend. "I'm Caitlin Snow, and I am the Fastest Woman Alive."

* * *

Please tell me what you liked, didn't like, look forward to/think will happen, or your general thoughts and comments, this'll help me make this story better; I'm a big boy so I can take criticism. And if you Review, Favorite or Follow you get a Shout Out and questions answered either privately or in the next chapter.

**SAME DEAL AS LAST TIME 7+ REVIEWS/FOLLOWERS/FAVORITES I'LL UPDATE WITHIN 7 DAYS**

Have a Fantastic Day or Night


	20. The Finish Line

**Disclaimer:** The following is a nonprofit Fan based story; The FLASH and all related characters are owned by DC comics, the CW and anyone I may have missed.

Reviewers: **josephguy217, IronLad, AReiss215, romario . hume, Killie159, Topherlee2, acquiringwriter, changingdestiny40, 221bakerstreet, **and** halfoffirestorm**

**221bakerstreet:** I'm still writing, unfortunately this story is extremely close to its end.

**halfoffirestorm: **I am continuing it.

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Favorites: **fannieherr**

This is it everyone the second to last chapter of this Story. I want to thank each and every one of you who has shown your support. I love you all.

* * *

_The Flash: Rewriting History_

Chapter 20: The Finish Line

* * *

Barry and Speedster Caitlin stood in the cortex of STAR Labs across from Iris, Ronnie, Cisco, Professor Stein and Joe.

"So, this Caitlin is actually a speedster from the future just like the other Barry?" Cisco asked still confused with all the time travel that's been happening.

"And the other Barry is gone." Iris stated that as a fact rather than a question.

"Somehow the Barry from this time managed to absorb the Barry from the future healing himself and managing to defeat the Reverse-Flash." Professor Stein was absolutely fascinated with everything that had transpired over the last day. "Fascinating!"

"Well, to be honest I could not have done it without Caitlin."

"So, you're a meta-human now Caitlin?" Ronnie asked his ex-fiancé, he was still confused about where their relationship stood.

"That's all correct." Barry explained. After the events of the previous night Thawne was now locked up in the Pipeline, and after a little team work from Caitlin and Barry, power had been restored to the City and S.T.A.R. Labs. They cleaned up the city as best they could, saving as many people as they could. And Barry had to be honest with himself, he and Caitlin had fallen into a rhythm as if they'd been working together all their lives even though neither of them had.

"With all this time travel mumbo jumbo how are you here, in this time?" Joe asked. Their Caitlin was still unconscious in the hospital. If things were to make sense he'd need a movie reference.

"I'm here like the end of Back to the Future part 2. You know, the part where Marty burns the sports almanac and restores the future?" Caitlin explained gaining and 'Ah-ha' from Joe. "I've already explained this to Barry, but in the Timeline I'm from Dr. Wells, I mean Eobard Thawne, killed Barry. That act caused the Space Time Continuum to tear because without Barry, The Flash, Thawne, The Reverse-Flash, cannot exist without the other. Basically Barry's death was like _Gray's Sports Almanac_ and had to be removed so that time could flow properly."

"But since Barry's alive we're already in an alternate timeline." Cisco added to which Caitlin gave a small pout.

"Technically I'm the only one in the alternate timeline." The female speedster added. "It's still the same time line for all of you."

"What exactly happened in your timeline, after Barry died I mean." Iris asked.

"After killing Barry a singularity formed over the City. Without the Flash a temporal paradox was born, Thawne used it as cover to escape from our time." She turned to Ronnie and the Professor. "Firestorm then flew into the singularity to destroy it barely escaping the event horizon. I was in a coma for Six months after which I woke up with the same powers as Barry."

"And Eddie?"

"Eddie woke up long before me. He continued working for the CCPD until he transfered to Coast City."

"What? Why?" Both Joe and Iris wondered why would Eddie request such a thing as a transfer.

"I really couldn't say." Caitlin looked down at her feet. "Even if I could I won't tell you. I know I shouldn't be the one to preach this but Time needs to be left alone."

Barry listened to Caitlin's words. They were similar to what his Time Remnant told him. He wondered, if he had knowledge about future events as he did should he try and change them or let them happen.

"Could we talk Caitlin?" Ronnie asked changing the conversation. "In private."

Caitlin nodded. "Of course." She proceeded to leave the cortex followed closely by Ronnie.

"This is all heavy." Cisco ran a hand through his thick black hair. "I mean first we had a time traveling Barry, then we found out Dr. Wells is actually a time traveler named Eobard Thawne who killed Barry's mom and tried to kill us all and then another Caitlin shows up…I mean-"

"It's fine Cisco." Barry smirked.

"I'm going to go check on Eddie."

"Yeah, go ahead." Barry let her know he was OK with her checking in on Eddie. Iris gave him a smile before going to check in on her boyfriend.

"Have either of you checked on Caitlin yet?" Joe asked since they were on the topic of injured comrades.

"I haven't been. Ronnie and I were going to head there later today." Cisco pipped up. "How is she?"

"I stopped by this morning." Barry said. "The doctors say she's recovering much faster than they anticipated but they still don't know when she'll wake up."

"Honestly the condition she's in currently is eerily reminiscent of you Barry." Joe said. "Whatever the other you did to her it was nearly the same as that lightning bolt."

"That explains why Future Caitlin has super speed." Cisco ran a hand through his black locks.

"And her electrokinesis."

"Electrokinesis!?" Barry had Cisco's full attention. "Damn, she's more impressive than you!"

"Hey! If I had a decade to hone my powers I bet I could throw lightning as well!"

"Yeah well I'll bet Caitlin is even faster than you! She could probably catch the lightning you throw."

"Well as interesting as debating Dr. Snow's speed I think it would be prudent to focus on our Dr. Snow." Cisco and Barry turned to stein and nodded ending their debate. "Now, according to this Dr. Snow, she'll wake up in about six months." Professor Stein fiddled with his glasses. "Perhaps there is a way to wake her up sooner."

"Six months is still a hell of a lot shorter than Barry's coma." Joe added.

"If there is a way to wake Caitlin up sooner rather than later we'll need to find it, unfortunately bio-chemistry and anything medicine related is Caitlin's area of expertise."

"I can talk to the older Caitlin, see if she can help." Barry said "but then the question isn't if we can wake her up. Rather should we? I don't know why but I feel a connection to Caitlin now. Probably because of the Speed Force. But do we wake her now and change the future again?"

"Technically it wouldn't be changing the future for any of us." Stein interjected grabbing a marker and heading over to the board. "See if we perceive time as a continuous line with us being represented by this dot at the end." He drew a dot at the end of the line. "And this dotted line is our potential future according to Dr. Snow, who comes from here." He drew another dot further along the dashes this time in blue. "Every decision we make solidifies this line." He connected several of the dots. "Now if Dr. Snow were to directly change something" He swapped marker colors. "this happens." He connected the lines using the blue marker.

"So as long as we make the decisions ourselves we're totally fine?" All this time stuff was a little above Joe's pay grade, he tried to make sense of it as best he could.

"If we wake up Caitlin nothing bad should happen." Cisco reiterated.

"I'll be right back…" Barry said suddenly as he left the cortex.

* * *

"I've missed you Ronnie." Caitlin gave Ronnie a smile as he sat down next to her at his old desk.

"So, in the future where you're from. Were we…"

"Married? No." Ronnie's head dropped slightly due to disappointment. "I was in a coma for six months and when I woke up I wasn't quite ready to pursue a relationship with anyone, not after Barry died."

"What happened?" Ronnie asked. "After you woke up I mean."

Caitlin became visibly uncomfortable. "At first you and I worked together to protect Central City as the Flash and Firestorm, but once I was able to stand on my own you and the professor went off on a mission with a few of our friends. I never heard from you again."

Ronnie stood up and walked over to Caitlin and placed a reassuring hand onto her shoulder before pulling her into an embrace. "I am so sorry Cait."

"No, I'm the one who should be sorry Ronnie. Even though we never got married and I said I wasn't ready for a relationship…I…I…" Caitlin struggled to find the words. "I fell in love with someone else. With Barry dead and you on your mission I didn't know what I was doing when this guy came into my life and swept me off my feet teaching me all about my new powers." Slowly they broke their embrace. "It didn't last very long, not when he died."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, that was a dark year for me." Caitlin thought back to how her first major enemy, Zoom, had physically, emotionally and psychologically broke her. "Out of all us heroes I had an extremely rough start. It's all in the past and I just don't want to live through that again."

"Ok." Ronnie nodded his head.

Caitlin gave her ex-fiancé a smile. She felt bad about how she was making him feel, but there wasn't anything she could do. "Look Ronnie, I know you're still in love with the me in a coma, but I have to warn you. When she wakes up she won't be the same Caitlin she was before." She took a deep breath. "What I'm saying is if you love her, let her go. If she comes back she's yours if not, she never was."

Ronnie couldn't help but chuckle lightly. "I guess you're right, but I can't just let her go. I mean we're still engaged, I think."

"I don't know what she'll be thinking when she wakes up, but I know she'll need someone to guide her with her powers. And we both know who the only person who can do that is."

"Barry…"

* * *

Iris sat next to Eddie who had woken up a short while ago. "How are you feeling?"

Eddie gave Iris a smile. "Aside from the headache I feel fine."

"I'm just glad you are OK. When Cisco told me what happened I feared the worst."

Eddie took Iris' hands in his own. "I'm fine Iris…" small blue wisps of energy formed on Eddie's hands and tickled Iris' hands.

Iris looked down and saw the flames. Her eyes widened in shock. And jumped back startled. "Eddie!?"

Eddie looked down and began to freak out at his flaming hand. "What? What's happening to me?"

"Eddie…I think you're a Meta-Human." Eddie looked up at his girlfriend with fear in his eyes. He didn't want to be a Meta-Human.

"I can't be a Meta-Human! I'm just Eddie! Good old normal Detective Eddie Thawne!"

"Eddie! Calm down!" Eddie was starting to get hysterical and the flames began to crawl all over his body forcing Iris to jump back to avoid the flames.

"Help! Somebody help!" Iris yelled out hoping for someone to hear them.

The doors whooshed open an in rushed Cisco, Ronnie, Joe, Professor Stein and Caitlin.

"What happened?"

"I don't know…" Iris' voice quivered in fright. The energy around Eddie continued to fluctuate, threatening to burn everyone. "He was fine and then suddenly…suddenly…"

Joe embraced his daughter in a tight hug. "It's OK baby girl…It's Ok…"

"Eddie! I need you to listen to me!" Caitlin ordered the panicking detective. "Your powers are connected to your emotions. You have to calm down."

"I can't!" More blue flames flared up forcing everyone to jump back.

"Listen to me Eddie…" Caitlin braved the flames and approached Eddie. "I'm going to teach you something I learned when I first got my powers. Clench your hands into fists." Eddie nodded and complied. "Good, now, release each finger and say something you love as you do it." Caitlin gave Eddie a reassuring smile and everyone else watched in wonder.

"Ok…Ok…My job…This City…Iris…you guys…" each time Eddie released a finger the flames died down a little until they were all released and the blue flames withered away. "It worked?"

"That was all you Eddie." Caitlin reassured the young detective as she stood up allowing Iris to embrace her boyfriend.

"How'd you do that?" Cisco asked. "I mean, just by talking you put out all those crazy blue flames!"

"Most Meta-human abilities are also tied to one's emotions." Caitlin rubbed her arm. "That was something I learned early on in my career, sometimes Science can't solve everything, emotions can provide more answers."

"What do we do now?" Joe asked

"Isn't it obvious?" Everyone turned to Cisco. "We come up with a nickname for Eddie. I was thinking something along the lines of-"

"…Cobalt Blue…" Eddie whispered. Everyone turned their gaze upon Eddie as he made more blue flames appear and dance around his hand before extinguishing them. "I think Dr. Wel- Eobard Thawne called me that just before I lost consciousness the first time…"

"Eddie" Eddie looked up into the eyes of his beautiful girlfriend. "Don't let whatever Dr. Wells said get to you. You are your own person and no time traveling speedster from the future can tell you otherwise." She turned to Caitlin with an apologetic look. "No offense."

"None taken." The female flash gave Iris and Barry a smile.

Barry went down to the pipeline to talk with Dr. Wells.

"What? No Big Belly Burger? It's one of the few perks of being stranded in this time." Thawne said from inside his prison cell. "Where I'm from there aren't any cows. But enough about me. You don't care about that. Go ahead and ask your questions."

"I don't know where to start Thawne. That is you real name correct?"

"Since the day I was born."

"There was never a Harrison Wells?"

"Oh, he was real. Had a wife as well, but I needed him to kick start the particle accelerator. It was easiest for me to replace him as the real Harrison Wells." The Time traveler confessed to murder nonchalantly. "I'm not sure why you're asking that Barry. Go ahead, ask the question you really want answered."

"Why'd you kill my mother?" Barry asked cutting right to the chase.

Eobard smiled. "Because I hate you Barry. Not you now. not even the you you will become. Rather I hated a different version of you."

"In the future."

"In a future, yes. We're enemies, rivals, opposites, reverses of one another." The physicist whispered lightly and sinisterly. "It's what you told me yourself."

"Why?" Barry asked wanting to know. Even though he would deny it Barry had come to see Harrison Wells, or at least the Harrison Wells he thought he knew, as a sort of Father figure alongside Joe and Henry.

"It doesn't really matter anymore. The only thing that mattered was that neither of us could defeat the other. Until I learned your name. See in my time the Flash was just some legend no one believed in but I went out to prove your existence, and I succeeded. I even learned your name eventually. And I finally knew how to defeat you once and for all. Travel back in time, kill you as a child and poof" Wells flicked his hands as if there was a small popping balloon in his hands. "No more Flash."

Barry gritted his teeth. "But you even failed at that."

"Only because future you followed me and got you out of there before I could kill you." Barry could almost see the anger Wells had for him. "I was so angry, but then I thought…what if you were to experience an accident or something so tragic you could never recover? So you would never become the Flash."

"That's when you killed my mother."

Thawne nodded with a smirk. "That's when I stabbed her in the heart." Tears began to well up in Barry's eyes. He could barely hold his emotions together. "And for a moment I was free. It was after that that I realized without you I was stranded in this Neanderthal Time. Your time Remnant told me himself. I need you to become the Flash so that I can be the Reverse-Flash and I need to be the Reverse-Flash so that you can become the Flash." Wells laughed to himself. "Kind of ironic, I wanted to be free of you and yet I need you to be faster so I can return home."

"Well, guess what. You're going to rot away in here. You're going to confess to my mother's murder and exonerate my father." Barry stood directly in front of Eobard Thawne, if the glass wasn't there they would feel each other's breath.

Wells gave Barry a knowing smile. "I think you will let me out of here Barry. Because if you give me what I want I'll help you get what you want. You can go back in time and save your mother. Prevent your father from going to prison. You can reunite your family."

Barry froze once again. Last time Wells mentioned something like this Barry ended up with a hand in his chest. "I don't believe you." Anger swelled up in Barry as he punched the glass separating the speedsters. "I should kill you right now."

"I know that rage you feel Barry." Wells seemed to get lost in thought for a moment. "I used to feel it every time I saw you…but now…when I look at you…I now know what Joe and Henry feel…those looks of pride. Looks of love."

"SHUT UP!" Barry punched the glass again "DON'T YOU EVER COMPARE YOURSELF TO THEM!"

"That anger won't bring mommy and daddy back or wake Dr. Snow from her coma." Thawne was definitely holding all the cards in this exchange. Even while imprisoned he was playing Barry like a fiddle. "Think about it Barry. You can have everything you ever wanted and more."

Barry took a step back and inhaled deeply. He had to calm down before he did anything rash or stupid or both. "I won't do it." Barry said simply which caused Thawne's smile to drop in surprise. "My older Time Remnant or whatever made me promise him not to change history."

"Who's he to preach that? He stole your life and changed things himself!" Wells argued. "You're more powerful than him Barry! Surly you will not be making the same mistakes he made!"

"My mind is made up Wells." Barry turned around and began to leave the pipeline while Thawne angrily hammered at the glass barrier.

"BARRY! BARRY! THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE GIVING UP! YOUR MOTHER! YOUR FATHER! IRIS! YOU'RE GIVING IT ALL UP!"

But Barry ignored his reverse as he hit the buttons to seal the pipeline.

* * *

A short while later Barry called everyone into the Cortex to hear what Wells-Thawne had told him. While everything seemed normal Barry noticed Ronnie hesitantly looking at the older Caitlin. Iris's left hand was wrapped up in some gauze while Eddie stood away from the rest of the group like he was afraid.

"This is quite the opportunity Mr. Allen." Stein was always excited when it came to scientific marvels and Time Travel was definitely near the top of that list. "The chance to right a wrong and save your mother's life, it's quite the conundrum."

"What do you guys think?" Barry left the question open for everyone to answer. Sure his Time Remnant made him promise not to change the past but the opportunity was ripe and proving extremely tempting.

"Can we really trust what Wells is saying? He's done nothing but lie to us all from the start." Joe said.

"A chance to be with someone you love seems like a pretty cut and dry answer to me." Ronnie said speaking up first while glancing at Caitlin before giving Barry his full attention.

"But this will change fifteen years." Cisco argued. "If you do this then you might never have met me, Ronnie, Oliver or even Caitlin."

"If I go and save my mom, my dad won't go to prison…but I may not know everyone in this room." Barry turned to the older Caitlin for some sage advice.

"I know this probably doesn't mean much coming from me as a Time Traveler who's changed the past, but as it stands right now the Time Stream is too thin for any form of time travel over a distance of six minutes."

"So if I were to go back and save my mom…"

"You could rip the very fabric of existence asunder. And even if you didn't you cannot return to this time. That mean's-"

"Barry has to choose between the life he has and the life he's always wanted." Iris stated as she gently rubbed her bandaged hand.

"I need some time to think." Barry said

* * *

Barry slowly walked into the hospital carrying a bouquet of roses. Somehow through all the commotion Barry's feet carried him to Caitlin, and a flower shop. He didn't even stop at the nurse's station instead he made a beeline to his unconscious friend.

Walking into her room Barry felt like he couldn't look away. She was all hooked up to tubes and wires providing her nutrients and monitoring her breathing and heart rate.

Dawning a smile Barry placed the roses on the table next to her just before sitting down and gently stroking her hand. Even though it had been his Time Remnant that had been 'with' Caitlin those memories were still his own and he felt as though it was him who had been by her side the whole time.

"Hey Cait…" His voice was soft and quiet. "I don't know if you can hear me…they say coma patients can retain their auditory functions, but I just want you to know I'm here…we're all here waiting for you…" he released her hand and lightly patted her thigh. "I hope you wake up soon, I could really use the advice…Wells said I can travel to the past and save my mom, but I don't know if I should." Barry failed to notice someone walk into the room behind him.

"I could use all the advice I can get…" Barry continuously stroked Caitlin's thigh in a soothing manner.

"She's going to wake up Barry." Barry looked over his shoulder to see the Older Caitlin standing there.

"I know, I just wish she'd wake up right now." Caitlin walked right next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You know I can't wake her up. But that doesn't mean you can't." Barry turned to Caitlin.

"Me? What can I do?"

"You both share a connection to the Speed Force thanks to your older-self." Caitlin explained

"Then how do I do it? How do I wake her up?"

"You already know what you need to do Barry, but I suggest you wait until after the Speed Force is fixed. Even though she's unconscious the Speed Force does not like paradox duplicates occupying the same space and time." Barry nodded in understanding.

"Ok, ok…" Barry removed his hand from Caitlin and stood up. "What do we need to do to fix the Time Stream."

"This is where it gets tricky. In order to patch the Time Stream, we need a create an even that will cause the rip to manifest itself so that way we can close it." Barry nodded in understanding.

"How big of an event are we talking about?"

"Like I said before any time jump over six minutes would rip the Universe apart. So anything farther than six minutes will do the trick."

* * *

Barry and Caitlin stood next to each other at the mouth of the pipeline dressed in their respective Flash suits. They knew what they needed to do. Barry knew what he had to do.

"Are you ready?" The female Flash asked turning to Barry

"As ready as I'll ever be."

"Remember, we're going to jump seven minutes into the future. Stay close I'll make sure we get there." Barry nodded.

Watching the two speedsters was Eobard Thawne, high in his personal cell. A smile spread over his face realizing what the two speedsters were up to. If only he could get out of his cell.

Cisco, Ronnie, Iris, Joe and Professor Stein stood up in the cortex watching the two speedsters.

"Dr. Snow said we release the Hydrogen atom when they reach Mach 2." Stein reiterated.

"If they don't run fast enough they'll be squashed like bugs on a windshield." Cisco said.

"Caitlin should create enough drag so Barry can keep pace with her." Ronnie added as hefound himself in Caitlin's usual chair

Iris just silently looked at the screen. Her thoughts were more focused on Eddie and his budding abilities.

"Honey, are you OK?" Joe asked his daughter seeing her obviously upset.

"I'm fine dad, I'm just worried."

"Eddie will be fine baby girl, so will Barry." Iris nodded as she felt a stray tear trickle down her cheek. Joe noticed it and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Why don't you go check on Eddie, he needs you."

"OK…" Iris made her way back to the medical bay to be with her boyfriend just as Barry and Caitlin began to run.

Barry felt the electricity coursing through his body with each and every step he took. More images flashed before his eyes of things he'd seen and some he hadn't before.

"Just focus on me Barry!" He heard Caitlin call out to him. "What you are seeing is your entire life; past present and future! Follow me and we will get through this!"

Barry closed his eyes and just focused on Caitlin, but that's when he heard his voice.

"That's it Barry, focus. Think about that night about your mother!" That's all it took and that was all Barry could focus on as the hydrogen atom came hurtling towards him and Caitlin.

"BARRY! NO!" Caitlin screamed as they both vanished breaking the Time Barrier.

* * *

Barry opened his eyes and saw he was in his old room. It was exactly as he remembered it the night his mother was murdered. Before he could process what was happening any further he heard the screaming from down stairs. Barry ran down the stairs and cautiously cracked the door open to see his mother surrounded by a cyclone of yellow and Red lightning.

"MOM!" Little Barry screamed

"BARRY!" Nora Allen yelled to her son in fright

"MOM!" the young Barry continued to yell.

"STAY BACK BARRY DON'T LET HIM TOUCH YOU!"

"NORA HOLD ON!" Henry screamed to his wife before embracing his son. "RUN BARRY RUN!"

As Barry watched the nightmare unfold he saw the Future Flash pause for a brief second and look directly at him and warned him off. Barry froze. He under stood what his future self was telling him. He wasn't supposed to be here. He needed to let go of his mother. An instant later Barry saw his older-self grab his younger-self and flashed him out of the house.

Tears flooded Barry's eyes as he closed the door separating him from his mother leaving him to listen to her screams.

"BARRY? BARRY WHERE ARE YOU? Oh God…NO! PLEASE!" Barry closed his eyes tight as he heard the knife pierce through her.

Barry slid to the floor in agony. Remembering his mother's murder was one thing but being forced to relive it was worse. Barry opened the door to see his mother on the floor, the knife still in her chest as she choked on her own blood. The grisly sight broke him as he moved to cradle her body.

"Hey…" He said through his tears. His mother looked up at him, her eyes were full of fright. On reflex she tried to grab Barry. "No, please don't try to move.

"Please…my husband…my son…"

"They're fine…they're both safe…I promise."

"Who…who are you?"

"I'm…I'm The Flash…"

"I don't understand…"

Barry pulled off his cowl so that his mom could see his face. So she'd know it was Barry. "This isn't going to make much sense, but it's me mom…It's Barry…"

"Barry?" Her fight all but disappeared and was replaced by love. "Oh my beautiful boy…" She reached up to caress her son's cheek. "I love you…" Barry held her tightly praying that this wasn't the end. "Goodbye…"

Barry sat there cradling his mother's body as the life left her.

* * *

Caitlin slid to a stop as she left the portal. She whirled around hoping that Barry was behind her and not going to the night of his mother's murder.

"Where's Barry?" Cisco yelled out as he Ronnie and Joe entered into the Particle Accelerator. "You were supposed to only go seven minutes!"

"I don't know!" Caitlin yelled back. "He was supposed to be right behind me but I think he went to the night his mother was murdered!"

"What!? Why would he do that?"

"It wasn't intentional!" Caitlin sent a glare up to Eobard Thawne. "He did it." She looked to the portal which began to fluctuate violently. "We have to close it now!" Caitlin ordered.

"We can't! Not without Barry!" Joe didn't want to close the portal, not without Barry. He'd be damned if he lost his son.

"I don't want to close it either but we have to!"

Up in his cell Thawne was smirking. By making Barry think about his mother he doomed Barry to being trapped in the past, just as he had. He couldn't help it but start laughing manically. This earned him a glares from Caitlin, Joe, Cisco and Ronnie.

In her rage Caitlin ran to the controls opened Thawne's cell and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "You! This is all your fault!"

"Oh my dear Dr. Snow…" Thawne smirked. "I didn't do anything. You gave Barry the means and opportunity he needed to save his mother. I only gave him the final nudge."

"CAITLIN! THE PORTAL'S GROWING!" Caitlin looked over her shoulder to see it was true.

"Cisco! Ronnie! Joe! Get out of there!" The men nodded and made a mad dash to escape the worm hole.

Taking advantage of Caitlin's distraction Thawne knocked her out of his way and began to run at high speed around the Particle Accelerator. This was his chance to return to his time and if it meant the destruction of this time then so be it.

"NO!" Caitlin screamed as Thawne jumped for the unstable time portal. If he got away Barry would be devastated.

But just before Thawne escaped she saw him. Barreling out of the portal was Barry fist cocked back just before connecting with the Reverse-Flash's face.

As Wells regained his balance Barry grabbed him and pinned him to the wall of the Particle Accelerator.

"You didn't save her!? Why? You could have had everything you ever wanted!" Wells struggled to breath as Barry began to choke the life out of him.

Barry glanced over to Caitlin then turned back to Thawne. "I almost did save her…but then I realized already have everything I wanted. Except for your confession."

Thawne Smirked. "You'll never get it Barry, not while I'm here."

"Barry! We don't have time for this! The Wormhole is growing unstable!" Caitlin yelled "I know you want him to confess but If you don't let him go then we are all dead!" Barry listened to Caitlin but he couldn't bring himself to release the Reverse-Flash. "Barry! Please!"

Barry closed his eyes and slacked his grip allowing Thawne to slid to the floor. "Ok…" Barry wiped away his hot tears.

Thawne rubbed his throat and smirked as Barry and Caitlin flashed out of the lab. "Heh heh heh…" It was the last thing Thawne saw as he felt the wormhole grab him and pull him towards it.

"No! NO! NO! NOOOOOOO!" Eobard Thawne disappeared into the breech, forever doomed to be lost in time.

* * *

Barry and Caitlin wasted no time evacuating everyone out of S.T.A.R. Labs. Soon All of them were outside watching as the Wormhole evolved and grew over S.T.A.R. Labs.

"What's it doing?" Iris asked

"Exactly what we didn't want to happen!" Cisco mumbled.

"It's feeding!" Stein theorized. "It's evolved into a self-sustained Singularity and it won't stop even after it's consumed the world.

"Try all of Existence!" Caitlin yelled over the growing winds. "We need to stabilize and stop it now!"

"How?" Eddie asked

"Barry and I have to disrupt the motion. Much like with Clyde Martin's tornado!"

"Only upside down and in the sky." Barry added sharing a look with Caitlin. "And scarier."

"Anything we can do?" Ronnie asked

"Pray." Caitlin said turning to Barry. "You ready to follow me one more time?"

"Lead the way Dr. Snow."

"Barry…" Barry turned to Iris. "Come back to us." He knew what Iris meant. He leaned in and allowed Iris to kiss his forehead.

With a nod Barry and Caitlin ran up the side of the building and towards the spinning cyclone of temporal death. They continued to run even as aches and pains developed in their bodies.

Barry was impressed by Caitlin's speed, she was easily out pacing him and lapping him

"Keep up Barry!" Caitlin called to him. "We're almost there!"

"I…I don't think I can…" Barry breathed heavily as he struggled to keep up.

Down below the rest of the group watched with batted breaths watching and hoping for the best possible outcome.

"They've stabilized the Singularity!" Stein yelled out

"But they have no way to close it!" Cisco cried back.

"Professor! What if Firestorm were to use our molecular manipulation to close it?"

"In theory it could work, but we'd need to be in the eye of the singularity." Ronnie nodded to the professor. "But Ronald, without the Quantum Splicer forming Firestorm could be permanent or even result in a meltdown."

"We don't have a choice Professor! We have to do it!" They clapped hands together and formed Firestorm before flying off into the breech.

Cisco, Iris, Joe and Eddie watched as another one of their friends headed off into the scary hole in time and space.

He flew right into the eye of the storm and looked to see both Barry and Caitlin staring at him. Their eyes wide with shock and horror.

"Caitlin…I love you…" Firestorm said, clearly it was Ronnie who was talking.

"NO!" Barry screamed. He felt the heat of Firestorm's flames intensify as the nuclear energy built to meltdown levels.

Caitlin shielded her eyes and grabbed Barry before throwing him away from the blast.

* * *

Please tell me what you liked, didn't like, look forward to/think will happen, or your general thoughts and comments, this'll help me make this story better; I'm a big boy so I can take criticism. And if you Review, Favorite or Follow you get a Shout Out and questions answered either privately or in the next chapter.

**ONE MORE CHAPTER EVERYBODY! NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE THE FINALE ONE ASIDE FROM AN EPILOGUE MAYBE**

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Have a Fantastic Day or Night


	21. Onward to the Future

**Disclaimer:** The following is a nonprofit Fan based story; The FLASH and all related characters are owned by DC comics, the CW and anyone I may have missed.

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THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT! THE STORY ENDS WITH THIS CHAPTER I HOPE YOU ALL LOVE IT AS MUCH AS I LOVE YOU ALL!

* * *

_The Flash: Rewriting History_

Chapter 21: Onward to the Future

* * *

**DISASTER AVERTED! FLASH AND FIRESTORM CLOSE THE HOLE IN THE SKY!**

**By: Iris West**

_Last week our City faced a crisis unlike anything we have ever faced before. And in what was our darkest hour two heroes rose and saved us from death. We owe our live to those who risked it all to protect us and we shall never forget those we lost that day; friends, family, loved ones. Those things can never be replaced but we cannot dwell in the past instead we all need to stand together and work for a brighter future for us all._

Iris leaned back and read over her opening paragraph, thinking back to that horrific day a week ago. Everyone had seemingly gone their separate ways since the Singularity had been closed; Future Barry, Future Caitlin and Harrison Wells, or Eobard Thawne as he was truly known were all gone. It was almost as if losing those three hit everyone harder than it was supposed to, they had almost lost Barry and Caitlin was still in that coma, showing no signs of waking up.

"Hey Iris." She looked up from her computer to see Eddie approach her.

"Eddie…" She stood up and embraced her boyfriend. "What's wrong? Are your…abilities…acting up?"

"Uh, no. I'm still trying to figure a few things about what I can do, but that's not why I'm here." Eddie gestured her to sit back down as he sat on the edge of her desk. "look Iris, we've been dating for over a year now, and living together for almost half that time."

"Whatever you're trying to say Eddie please just say it."

Eddie took a deep breath. "Ok, Iris…I've put in a transfer Request with Captain Singh." Iris' eyes widened. The Future Caitlin had foretold about the possibility of Eddie transferring out of Central City, but hearing it from Eddie's own mouth just made it more real. "And I want you to come with me."

"What?" Iris knew she was releasing Eddie's hands but it was seemingly out of her control. "Eddie…I…I can't just-

"You don't have to give me your answer right now." Eddie gave Iris a reassuring smile. "And it's not like I'm transferring halfway across the country. I'm transferring back to Keystone City." Keystone City, just across the river. Iris released a breath she didn't know she was holding.

"Keystone?"

"Yeah, I could never be apart from you Iris, that's why I'm asking for you to come with me." Eddie got up from Iris' desk and got down on one knee making Iris cover her mouth as she let out an audible gasp. "It's kind of funny I had this whole romantic idea planned but…" He shifted through his pocket and produced a small navy blue box. Iris couldn't stop the tears falling down her cheeks. "I figured…despite everything…" His mind flashed to the newspaper his decedent showed him. "maybe we should just screw the future and live in the moment." He opened the box showing Iris the diamond ring inside. "So, Iris West, will you marry me?"

* * *

Over in S.T.A.R. Labs Cisco satin his lab. Without Caitlin and Dr. Wells, the laboratory had gotten incredibly lonely since existence was almost annihilated. He spun around in his chair surveying the emptiness around him and exhaled softly.

"Just another lonely day in the Lab."

"Cisco," The Hispanic young man turned around to see Joe entering into his lab. "I need your help. It looks like we've got a possible Meta-Human case going here."

"Um, Ok" Cisco stood up. "but why me? Why not ask Barry?"

"Barry requested some time off from Singh. He's been spending all his free time in the hospital with Caitlin, trying to figure out how to wake her up."

"Well, let's see what me and my toys can do." Cisco said. "I've been working on a device to provide the police so they can deal with Meta-Humans if Barry isn't around." He pulled up the schematics for a gun. "I call it _The Boot_"

"The Boot? Dare I ask why?"

"The idea is you shoot it at a meta-human's leg and once it is attached it anchors said meta to the ground while giving them shocks if they attempt to use their abilities."

"Sounds like you're trying to run Barry out of a job." Joe leaned in to look at the schematics. "Do you have a prototype yet?"

"No, Without Dr. Wells, or an actual owner, S.T.A.R. Labs doesn't have the funds to continue any ventures."

"What if the City and the Police Department funded this project?"

"I could have it done in three days." Cisco said.

Joe gave Cisco a nod. "How's Stein?"

"He's fine, still recovering from the singularity." Cisco lowered his head slightly. "He went home to Clarissa this morning."

"How's he handling…you know…"

"He says he's fine but I think he's trying to cover up the strangeness of it all."

* * *

Barry sat next to Caitlin for the umpteenth time. It had been a week and still she showed no signs of stirring or waking up. And after the events involving His future self, Caitlin's future self and the Reverse-Flash Barry desperately wanted to get back some shred of normalcy.

Everyday Barry tried to wake Caitlin up but nothing was changing. He gently caressed and stroked Caitlin's hand.

"Please wake up Caitlin…" Barry whispered. "I need you…" He practically lost Caitlin twice in one day and it hurt him greatly. With a heavy heart Barry leaned in and kissed Caitlin's forehead before getting up to leave.

Just before he walked out the door Caitlin bolted upright in the bed causing Barry to turn around. Shock and happiness spread across his face at the sight of his friend. Caitlin was in a panic and frantically began to pull at the tube that was shoved down her throat.

"Cait calm down!" Barry was immediately by her side. "Do you want the tube out?" She nodded. In less than a second the tube was gone and Caitlin coughed a bit to ensure there was nothing left in her airway. "Are you OK? Do you want me to go get your doctor?"

"Doctor? What are you talking about? Why am I here in the hospital?" Caitlin scanned over Barry herself. "Which Barry are you?"

Barry smiled and took her left hand in his. "It's me Cait. Your Barry. The one from this time."

Caitlin nearly leaped into his arms and buried her face into his neck. "I…I though he was going to kill you…" She said through the tears. "I know I jumped in…but I can't remember what happened after that…"

"It's OK Caitlin…" Barry's voice was soothing and calm. "It's ok…"

"Barry…what happened?"

"It's a little bit of a long story Cait."

"I think we have the time."

"Ok, well, when you jumped onto the other me you got injured…" Barry began to tell the story about what happened. Caitlin listened, asking questions when they came up which Barry answered. Things got difficult when Barry began to say what happened when Firestorm flew into the singularity.

* * *

The Temporal Singularity was torn apart by the explosion. Fire and debris rained down on Central City and Barry desperately searched for any sign of Ronnie, Professor Stein and Caitlin. After a few seconds he saw them; Ronnie and Professor Stein tumbling through the air, too far apart to reform Firestorm and too far for Barry to save them both unless he ran faster than ever.

Barry ran for Professor Stein first and grabbed the aging Professor before whirling around and running back for the falling Ronnie. Whatever strength Barry had left was failing fast, but he had to save Ronnie. For Professor Stein. For Caitlin. For himself. Barry took a deep breath and pushed himself harder. Using the debris as makeshift ground Barry took the quickest path possible towards Ronnie.

"RONNIE!" The falling man turned to see Barry and Stein coming his way. He held out his hand hoping that Barry could catch him but the ground was approaching the three men at an alarming rate. Seeing barely any options left Barry said a Hail Mary and tossed Professor Stein towards Ronnie, the only one who could save them was Firestorm, and they needed him right now.

Barry had no idea what would happen if the two were to form now, especially without their quantum splicer to regulate the transformation. They had just exploded not a minute ago.

The moment their hands touched they erupted into a swirling mass of nuclear energy reforming as the powerful Meta-Human. Streams of fire erupted to attempt to slow down his decent, too little too late. Firestorm collided with the ground before separating back into Stein and Ronnie. Neither half of Firestorm was moving

Barry's feet found solid ground and he stopped right next to the unmoving men. "Ronnie? Professor Stein?" He crouched down and felt for a pulse, they each had one but it was feint and weak. No sooner had he landed than everyone ran over to Barry and Firestorm, unsure about what happened and that's when Barry noticed someone from their group was missing.

"Where's Caitlin?" He asked. Everyone shared looks but they ultimately didn't know where she was. More tears formed in his eyes. "Where is she?"

"I didn't see her escape the singularity." Cisco dropped his head as he spoke. "I don't think she made it.

"She had to have made it!" Barry was beginning to panic. Frantically is looked up and searched the sky as the last of the debris disappeared form the blue and white sea above them. He was about to run off and search for Caitlin but Joe wrapped his arms tightly around his son.

"Barry…I know it hurts…but you have to calm down…" Even Joe was beginning to cry.

"I'm sorry Barry, but she's gone…" Iris said sadly.

They may have not known Future Caitlin for long but losing her was just as painful as losing their Caitlin.

* * *

"Wow…" Caitlin breathed out when Barry finished his story. "So, if I'm understanding this correctly. A future version of me, who had super speed, came to the past to save you and fix a hole in the space time continuum. She succeeded but at the cost of her own life apparently. And to top it all off I might now be a Meta-Human with the same abilities as you?"

"That pretty much sums it up." Barry was impressed at how calm Caitlin was throughout the story.

"What happened to Ronnie?" Caitlin asked. She did notice Barry's slight change in posture when she said those four words. "What happened to him and Professor Stein?" Barry began to rub his thumb on the back of her hand.

"They're alive Caitlin." Barry said simply. "Professor Stein came away with barely a scratch but Ronnie…it was his body that hit the ground…"

"How bad is it?" Caitlin felt the tears welling up at the thought of Ronnie being hurt. He wasn't even supposed to come back to Central City but he did it for her.

"Ronnie…the impact broke just about every bone in his body…" Barry said sadly. "He's conscious and alive, but he's paralyzed from the neck down…" Caitlin couldn't help it any more. The damns in her eyes broke and she released a flood of tears into Barry's chest. "Do you want me to take you to him?"

Before Caitlin could respond she began to shiver and vibrate uncontrollably. She broke away from Barry and in a flash she was against the wall looking at her vibrating hands.

"**_Whatshappeningtome_**!?" She kind of had an idea what was happening to her, Barry said her Future Self had the same abilities as Barry.

"Caitlin! Calm down!" Barry was instantly by her side and holding her hands. "Cait, listen to me." Barry thought back to what Iris told him Future Caitlin did for Eddie with his budding powers. "Cait…Listen to me…I'm going to teach you something you indirectly taught me." Caitlin nodded a hundred times. "Clench your hands into fists." She complied. "Now release each finger and tell me something you love."

"**_OK…okI'lltry…_**" Caitlin took a deep breath trying to calm herself down. "**_ThingsIlove…Ciscoronnie, my dad, my job, my life…_**you." By the time she finished She was talking normally and she was no longer vibrating.

"That's it." Barry smiled at Caitlin's progress.

Caitlin nearly jumped into Barry's arms hugging him tightly. "Thank you Barry…thank you…"

Gently Barry rubbed her back. "Do you want to head to S.T.A.R. Labs and check on Ronnie? We don't have to if you don't want to. But if you want to we can run there together."

Breaking the hug apart Caitlin nodded and they took off in a ran through Central City leaving a trail of yellow lightning as they did. Smiles were etched across their faces as they kept pace with each other. Every time Caitlin pulled a little ahead Barry would close the gap. Their little challenge continued all the way to S.T.A.R. Labs where the two speedsters flashed into the empty Cortex.

"Oh my god! That was amazing!" Caitlin was super excited with her new abilities. "Is that what it feels like every time you run?"

"Pretty much." Barry said he led Caitlin to her lab. "Come on, Ronnie's in here."

They entered into her lab and Caitlin laid her eyes on Ronnie Raymond. He laid in the bed not moving a muscle.

"Ronnie…" The physical half of Firestorm turned his head to see Barry and Caitlin.

"Cait…" Ronnie wanted to get up and embrace her but he knew he couldn't. Silently he cursed his broken body. "hey…you're awake…" his voice was quiet and despite his predicament he was showing her that he was happy.

Caitlin was by his side within seconds. The tears fell down her cheeks as she looked over her ex-fiancé. "Ronnie…Barry told me what happened…I…I'm so sorry…"

"Cait…you didn't do anything wrong…" Ronnie replied. He hated seeing Caitlin so broken. "This is because of my choices.

"I should have caught you first Ronnie." Barry spoke up.

"Then Stein would be dead Barry. You cannot blame yourself for our decision." Ronnie said. "I egged Stein into forming Firestorm to close that Singularity."

"I'm just happy you're alive." Caitlin said. Instinctively she took his hand even though he felt nothing.

Barry looked between the two of them. "I'll leave you two alone."

"No, stay Barry. You both need to hear what I have to say…" Ronnie looked to Caitlin. "Cait…I want you to know that I love you…you know that right?"

"Of course I know that Ronnie…" Caitlin somberly said.

"Then listen to me and take my words to heart." He looked over to Barry and then back to Caitlin. "I don't want you to be with me out of pity because I'm broken…I'll just be holding you back…" Ronnie's words brought more tears to Caitlin's eyes. "Cait…I…I want you to move on from me…"

"Ronnie…I can't just leave you…"

"Cait…I can't give you a good life anymore. I want you to live your own life. Barry can give you that. Promise me you'll move on with your life."

Caitlin couldn't stop herself as she leaned in to kiss Ronnie. The Young couple shared one last kiss. For Caitlin it lasted for an eternity thanks to her new speed powers. "I…I promise…"

"Thank you…Now go on Cait…" They broke apart and Caitlin stood next to Barry Ronnie looked to Barry. "Barry…take care of her…if I find out you hurt her in anyway…I'll kick your ass." He said with a smirk.

"I promise." Barry said.

"Hey Ronnie, Professor Stein and I were just talking and…Caitlin!?" Barry and Caitlin turned around to see Cisco enter into the lab. He ended up dropping his tablet which Caitlin caught using her new super speed. "Woah…that's a little freaky deaky…"

"Cisco you were saying you an stein were talking about something?" Barry asked

"Oh yeah!" Cisco typed into his tablet and pulled up a diagram. "I think we have a way to help you overcome your current condition."

"At this point I'll take anything." Ronnie said keeping a positive attitude while sparing Caitlin a glance.

"So, Professor Stein and I theorize that since Firestorm-"

"I'll stop you right there Cisco." Ronnie interrupted. "Professor Stein and I have tried to affect organic matter before but we've had little to no success. Rebuilding me using Firestorm is a no go."

"Let me finish." Cisco fired back. "Now Firestorm was initially formed when your atomized body collided with Professor Stein and the Firestorm Matrix. Our theory is that if you and Stein simply reform Firestorm your body should be reconstructed the moment you two separate."

"Seems like a Hail Mary but I think it's worth a shot." Barry spoke.

"Like I said I'm willing to try anything." Ronnie turned back to Barry and Caitlin. "But remember what you promised. Even if this works."

Caitlin nodded sadly while Barry gently wrapped an arm around Caitlin's shoulders.

* * *

"Any particular reason you've handed in a request for a transfer?" Eddie looked up from his desk to see Joe standing over him holding the file.

"Joe!" Eddie shot upright "Uh…Captain Singh told you didn't he…"

"You know the Captain and I are fairly tight." Joe said "So tell me, why the transfer?"

Eddie looked around the room to make sure no one else could really hear him. "…It's these abilities I got…" Eddie said simply. "A lot has happened and … I want to go back to the place where it feels familiar." He was going to half to tell Joe eventually even if the older detective was not fond of the idea. "I…I asked Iris to come with me…

"You what!?" Joe said a little too loudly making almost every other cop in the station turn towards the partners.

"If you two are having trouble i suggest couples therapy but not on my time." Singh said.

"Sorry Captain, come on Partner we've got a few things to discuss." Joe led Eddie outside to his car. "Get in."

Eddie looked a little hesitant. "Should I be concerned?"

"If I were you I'd be concerned about not getting in the car." Eddie complied.

"So, when you asked Iris to move to Keystone did you by any chance ask her anything else?" Joe asked. His voice was serious and a wee bit threateningly.

Eddie took a deep breath. "Ok… Joe don't be mad… I know you're against this but…"

"You asked her to marry you didn't you?" Joe finished.

"How'd you know."

"It's my job to know." Joe said without looking at Eddie. "I still don't like it, but you make Iris happy."

Eddie let out a breath of relief he didn't know he was holding. "Thanks for being OK with this Joe-"

"If do anything, and I mean anything to hurt my baby girl. There won't be a place in either Central City of Keystone City you can hide where I won't find you."

"Understood…"

* * *

A few hours later Team Flash, and the two halves of Firestorm were outside the City in the old Salt Flats. Ronnie was confined to Wells' old wheel chair for support while the old physicist stood next to his younger half.

Caitlin stepped forward holding the new Quantum Splicer she and Cisco built in record time. Amazing how quickly one could build high tech gadgets when the world seemingly stands still. Gently she placed it on Ronnie's chest and watched the device engage into its more iconic look.

"Are you guys ready for this?" Barry asked as Caitlin returned to stand next to him. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to."

"Mr. Allen We're doing this not only because we want to, but because we have to." Stein spoke up. He turned to Clarissa. "Clarissa my dear…if this doesn't work and we become permanently fused or-"

"It'll work Martin." Clarissa cut off her husband with a gentle kiss to his lips. "Sometimes you need a little more faith."

"Caitlin…" Ronnie said. "I just want you to know I love you…" The new female speedster nodded with teary eyes as the two men turned and wheeled towards each other.

Stein was the one who needed to take the initiative as he reached out and touched Ronnie's hand. Ronnie tried to activate his abilities but without feeling in anything below his neck Firestorms formation was shaping to be impossible, so he pushed himself harder.

Everyone was watching at a safe distance away waiting hoping and praying that this would work. Suddenly there was a tiny flicker of energy around Stein's hand as it danced around his fingers and into Ronnie's paralyzed ones. The small flame began to grow to which Ronnie and Stein exchanged smiles as they were consumed in an inferno of nuclear energy.

The energy swirled in a cyclone for a minute before dissipating in a powerful blast that knocked almost everyone off their feet had Barry and Caitlin not been there to catch everyone.

Standing in a small crater was Ronnie Raymond. He turned to the crowd and they saw the white eyes, the telltale mark of Firestorm. He began to look over his body making sure that all the parts were there and everything was working properly.

Clarissa and Caitlin were the first two to run forward to check on Firestorm.

"Ronnie? Martin?" The two women asked.

"We're here." Firestorm spoke with a voice that was a blend of both Ronnie and Martin. "Both of us." He replied.

"So, can you guys still separate or are you permanently stuck together?" Cisco asked

Firestorm took a deep breath and became engulfed in a swirling mass of nuclear energy and smoke. When it dissipated There stood Ronnie and Professor Stein, both looking perfectly normal.

"IT WORKED!" Cisco cheered as Caitlin ran to embrace Ronnie while Clarissa hugged her husband.

"Are you really OK Ronnie?" Caitlin asked giving him a once over seeing if he truly had recovered.

"Really I'm fine Cait. Putting my nerves and bones back together was nothing for the Firestorm Matrix compared to rebuilding me atom by atom." Ronnie touched his forehead to Caitlin's and while he wanted to kiss her he knew it would have been awkward since he essentially broke up with her that morning.

"I'm just happy you and Professor Stein are alive and safe." Caitlin whispered. "Let's get back to the Lab. I want to make sure you're both at one hundred percent."

* * *

The next morning Barry sat in his laboratory when Iris came into his lab.

"Iris! Hey. What brings you here?" Barry asked

"Hey Barry…" Iris was shifting uncomfortably. "It's Eddie."

"What happened? Are his powers getting erratic? Did he accidentally hurt you? Did you guys break up?"

"What? No! None of that. It's just Eddie is transferring to Keystone."

"Why?" Barry asked slightly stunned. Future Caitlin did tell them that Eddie transferred but to Coast City not Keystone.

"I don't know. But…" Iris looked into Barry's eyes to say the next part. "Eddie proposed yesterday." Barry looked down and saw there was no ring on her finger. Half a dozen emotions flew into his brain.

"You said no?" he asked

"I told Eddie I needed some time to think." Iris sat down next to Barry. "I just felt like I should run this by you first."

"Iris…I know thing between us are a little weird but you shouldn't let that hold you back. I mean we've both been dancing around 'Us' for years." Barry looked into Iris' eyes. He was then assaulted by memories of his Future-Self's like with Iris, their children, the life they had or could have. "I might not be the best person to say this but, I think if we both truly want to move on from 'this'" Barry made gestures between them. "We need to accept that it's there first."

Iris's eyes began to tear up as she listened to Barry. "I know this sounds weird but I remember the conversation my future-self and you had down at the waterfront."

"You remember that?"

"Yes, I know it wasn't quite me there, but I want you to know that no matter what you decide I'll always love you Iris and-" Iris cut him off by planting a tender short kiss on Barry's lips.

They parted and touched their foreheads. "I love you to Bar…" Tears formed in their eyes as they pulled apart. "I know the timing couldn't possibly be any worse but I've been burying my feelings for you deep and I know that they're there and that you love me as well

"Eddie makes you happy Iris. I think you should marry him. But Eddie didn't propose to me, It's your decision. " Iris listened to Barry.

"You really think so?" Iris asked

It pained him but Barry knew what he had to say. Eddie made her happy before he could. "Yeah…"

As they were talking Caitlin entered into the Lab. Barry had promised to teach Caitlin all about her new powers and since he was always late Caitlin thought it was better if she went to him instead of waiting for the fastest man alive.

"Hey Barry, Iris." She said practically announcing her presence to the duo.

"Hey Caitlin." Iris waved at the other girl. "I'll see you around Barry, I've got to go talk to Eddie." She gave Barry one last hug. "And thanks for being so cool with this."

"Any time Iris." They broke apart and Iris left leaving Caitlin and Barry alone in his lab.

"So, what was that about?" Caitlin asked.

"Nothing." Barry replied. "I'm sure you'll find out what we were talking about in an hour or so. Any who, you ready to train with your new powers?" Barry asked as he grabbed his jacket of his chair.

"I guess so." Caitlin readjusted her purse. "It's still kind of weird having these powers. Like I can be ready and get to my desired location in less than a minute so I can see the appeal in being late all the time." Barry chuckled.

"Excuse me, Mr. Allen I presume?" Barry and Caitlin turned around to see a man in a suit enter into the laboratory.

"That's me, can I help you?"

"I'm sorry to interrupt you but I have some urgent business to discuss. My Name is Greg Turk I am a attorney at Weathersbe and Stone." The man named Greg introduced himself. "Normally we do not make house calls but this particular matter required that we act on it as urgently as possible. Ms. Would you please vacate the room? Policy requires that I still maintain client confidentiality."

"What ever you need to say to me you can say it with Dr. Snow in the room." Barry challenged.

"I can see you won't change your mind about this. In any event" he pulled an envelope from the inside of his suit jacket. "We need to discuss S.T.A.R. Laboratories." Barry and Caitlin exchanged a look. "You should know that Dr. Wells left the property to you as a part of his living trust.

"I…Um…wow…" Barry was at a loss for words. Eobard Thawne may have been a psychopath from the future but he'd seemingly left everything to Barry in the event of his death. "Thank you…I honestly had no idea he left the Lab to me…"

"Well, STAR Labs is currently scheduled to undergo receivership in a few months unless you watch this." Mr. Turk pulled a small USB out of his pocket and handed it to Barry.

"What is this?"

"A video message drafted by Dr. Wells, he told us it is to only be viewed by you in the event of his death."

"So you have not seen it nor do you know what's on it?" Caitlin asked

"We followed Dr. Wells' instructions to the letter. Once you watch it I will receive a notification and we can move forward with the transfer of ownership."

"Thank you…" Barry said quietly. His eye never left the small gray USB as Greg left his lab.

"Are you going to watch it?" Caitlin asked snapping Barry out of his thoughts.

"I don't know…" Barry replied honestly. He didn't know what to think. "I'm too afraid to watch it."

"What if we watched it together?" Caitlin asked gently. A smile crept over Barry's mouth.

"Yeah…I'd like that…"

They walked over to Barry's computer and waited as the video began to play. Barry felt his stomach churn as Dr. Wells, or Eobard Thawne walked in front of the camera and sat down. Almost entirely on instinct Barry reached for Caitlin's hand and squeezed it tightly.

_"Hello Barry, if you are watching this then something has gone horribly wrong. I'm dead and that means the last fifteen years have been for nothing. Bummer. Well, something I realized during those 15 years, helping raise you…train you…I learned we were never truly enemies Barry. I'm not the thing you hate and you're certainly not the one I hate. So, I'm going to give you the thing you want most. It won't matter, you won't be truly happy Barry, trust me. I know you." _Video Wells removed his glasses and adopted a serious expression. _"Now, erase everything up to this point and give the following message to the police. My name is Harrison Wells, being of sound mind and body do freely confess to the murder of Nora Allen in her home on the night of March 18 2000." _Barry's eyes widened in shock. Thawne was telling the truth when he said Barry wouldn't get a confession as long as he was alive.

"Oh my god…He confessed…" Caitlin was just as surprised as Barry. She looked over to the fastest man alive as he released her hand and stood up.

"This…this is what I need to free my dad!" Barry turned around and embraced Caitlin in a tight hug. He picked her up and spun her around in happiness. Neither planned on what happened next as they learned in close and closed their eyes.

"Hey Barry I've got-" Joe walked into Barry's lab holding a file when he saw Barry and Caitlin inches from each other. "Uh, am I interrupting something?"

"Joe!" Barry shouted happily as he ran over to his adoptive father. "He did it Joe!"

"Slow down there Barry. Who did what?"

"Wells! I mean Thawne! He confessed to my mom's murder!" Barry couldn't stop his infectious happiness.

"Really? When?"

Caitlin pulled out the Flash drive and handed it to Barry. "He did it on this. Granted he wants me to delete the beginning first since it contains sensitive Flash related stuff."

Joe looked at the USB and nodded. "Well, I'll see what I can do. If this is real then it should exonerate Henry. You should let everyone else know."

* * *

The very next day Barry stood just outside the gates of Iron Heights as he had done so many times before only this time he was waiting for his dad to walk through the gates.

The gates buzzed and Barry watched as Henry Allen walked through the gates. When father and son saw each other they ran up to each other and embraced for the first time in fourteen years.

"Hey slugger." Henry said barely containing his happiness.

"Hi dad."

"So, should we get going?"

"Let's go home."

"I'll race you." Henry joked with a knowing smile. Barry looked at his dad slightly surprised.

"You know?"

"A father always recognizes his son." Henry said smiling.

* * *

Later at the West house everyone waited patiently for Henry and Barry to get home. Sure enough they arrived in a timely fashion.

"WELCOME HOME!" Everyone shouted as Henry walked through the threshold.

There was a pop as Cisco opened a champagne bottle while Iris and Caitlin moved in and out of the kitchen bringing a feast with them as they did. That's when Caitlin noticed the rock on Iris' finger.

"Iris, is that…" Iris looked down at her own finger as a smile spread across her face.

"Yeah, Eddie proposed and I said yes." She showed the ring to Caitlin. Part of Iris felt a little bad since Caitlin had officially ended her relationship with Ronnie two days ago.

"Do Barry and Joe know?" Caitlin asked

"Barry's the one who told me to accept Eddie's proposal. My dad was a little less than forthcoming with it but he gave us his blessing, he said as long as I'm happy, and Eddie makes me happy. But enough about me, how are you doing?" Both ladies turned to the living room and shot glances to Ronnie, who was talking to Cisco and Barry who was deep in conversation with Henry.

"I'm fine. Thinking about Ronnie and how he didn't want me to suffer alongside him makes me love him more, but… He wants me to move on and I just don't know how to do that yet." Caitlin lowered her head slightly as she turned back to Iris.

Iris gave Caitlin a reassuring smile and placed a hand on the other woman's shoulder. "Have a little faith in yourself Caitlin. I'm sure Barry does."

"Gather round everyone!" Iris and Caitlin turned to see Stein calling a toast. "Looking at all of you…thinking about everything we have been through the last week… the people we've lost and those who cannot be with us right now… I am reminded of a Hebrew word used in times of graduation; Kadima. It means forward…" Stein lifted his glass and everyone else followed suit. Caitlin noticed out of the corner of her eye Barry slip away from his dad's side and join her nearly at the hip.

"Forward." Everyone said before sipping their champagne.

"How's Henry liking his Freedom?" Iris asked her best friend.

Barry smiled. "He's never been happier in the last fourteen years. I was talking to him earlier about what he plans to do now that he is exonerated."

"Well, I can look to see if there's a way for him to get his medical license back." Iris said.

"Yeah, that would be great Iris and since I technically own STAR Labs now I can easily give him a job there."

"You're not trying to replace me as your physician are you?" Caitlin asked

"No, but if we're both out in the field now that you're a speedster someone's got to keep your lab ready in case either of us gets hurt." Barry half joked half said seriously. "Joe and I offered my old room to him so he doesn't have to look for a place to live."

"Then where are you going to live?" Iris asked

"No clue." Barry turned to Caitlin. "Unless someone's got an extra bed somewhere."

"Don't look at me, I've only got one bed." Caitlin asserted. "I don't even have a guest room."

"And I share mine with Eddie." Iris added. "Not the point."

"You can move in with me compadre!" Cisco suddenly jumped into the conversation followed by Eddie and Ronnie leaving the grownups on the other side of the room.

"No Cisco, that won't be necessary."

"You know; I know a lovely spot beneath a bridge." Ronnie joked. "I spent some lovely evenings there with some interesting people."

"He's not homeless yet!" Joe joked from the other side of the room. "His old room is still available for rent!"

"I love you guys." Barry said smiling brightly for the first time in a long while. He may not like the initial hand he was dealt but he loves how it all turned out. And looking around at everyone he loved surrounding him and he enjoyed their loving embrace.

* * *

Outside of the West house a lone figure stood watching the celebration inside, his eyes fixed on Barry Allen. The figure was moving so fast he was practically invisible and covered in golden-white lightning. He watched for a few moments before running off at the speeds of a god.

* * *

**THAT'S A WRAP PEOPLE! THIS STORY IS OVER! NOW I WILL BE WRITING AN EPILOGUE HOPEFULLY IT'LL FILL ALL THE GAPS AND LEAVE YOU SATISFIED. **

Please tell me what you liked, didn't like, look forward to/think will happen, or your general thoughts and comments, this'll help me make this story better; I'm a big boy so I can take criticism.

Have a Fantastic Day or Night


	22. Epilogue

**Disclaimer:** The following is a nonprofit Fan based story; The FLASH and all related characters are owned by DC comics, the CW and anyone I may have missed.

I know I said this last time but one last shout out to Reviewers, Favorites and Followers.

Reviewers: **Josephguy217, Flash Frost, AReiss215, fannieherr, Guest (1), Killer Cold Hearts, changingdestiny40, lookofdom, Killie159, Topherlee2, romario . hume, Guest (2),** and **Guest (3)**

**Guest (1):** There is a sequel spinoff in the works. I've been planning it for a while.

**lookofdom: **Yes. Yes. Thanks for your love and support.

**Guest (2): **Wait and see if Snowbarry becomes official. Thank you for calling my story amazing.

**Guest (3):** The Epilogue is here. Just wait for the sequel-spinoff

Followers: **zanessa14luv18 **and** theeuniverse**

Favorites: **zanessa14luv18 **and** theeuniverse**

If I were to be honest with myself, I don't like how the Epilogue turned out too much. This is the third time I've written it and I just can't seem to make it feel right. Mostly it's to wrap up with some indications of what happened after, but this is mostly set up for the sequel-spinoff.

THIS IS IT FOLKS! THIS IS THE END OF REWRITING HISTORY! LOOK FOR THE SEQUEL! THE TITLE IS AT THE END OF THIS EPILOGUE!

ALSO I'LL BE WRITING A HALLOWEEN FLASH STORY NEXT BE ON THE LOOK OUT FOR THAT BEFORE THE SEQUEL.

* * *

_The Flash: Rewriting History_

Epilogue

* * *

**January 26 2017**

Barry was out running as the Flash doing what he always did, save people. As he ran through Central City Barry couldn't help but let his mind drift to the previous year and to 'Flashpoint' as The Reverse-Flash called it. The world he created by saving his mother. Despite everything he was warned about Barry felt the desperate pull to have both his parents alive.

He remembered 'Jay' but not his true identity nor his goal. Those were buried deep in his subconscious. In fact, many of the memories of the immediate future were buried in his subconscious. Seriously, what good were memories of future events if they remain buried deep in his subconscious and certain events happen differently than what you actually remember?

Everything 'Jay' wanted to teach Barry he already knew. But that didn't stop 'Jay' from teaching Caitlin. Which caused them to grow close. In the original timeline Ronnie was dead and Caitlin tried to move on with 'Jay' but this time Ronnie broke up with Caitlin leaving her heart broken and vulnerable for 'Jay' even when Barry subtly tried to weasel his way in.

When Harry suggested Caitlin help him with Velocity 5 Caitlin and Barry flat out refused to use it. They knew how dangerous it was, it would have killed Barry had he not absorbed the essence of his older self. Harry was quite surprised when Caitlin showed her formula which was more advanced and effective than Harry's. Even 'Jay' was impressed but he warned them not to use it which both Caitlin and Barry agreed on.

Everything started to fall apart when they went to Earth-2. Barry, Cisco 'Jay' and Harry went to the parallel world leaving Caitlin, Joe Iris and Eddie to protect Central City their absence. In the Parallel world they met Earth-2 Barry, Iris and Joe along with villainous Caitlin, Ronnie and Cisco. Things looked bad when Zoom kidnapped Barry after Deathstorm and Reverb almost killed him. Jay was quite helpful on Earth-2 especially when they had to rescue Barry from Zoom's Lair. The Older Flash took a vibrating hand through his chest when Zoom went after Jesse giving Barry and company enough time to escape from Earth-2.

'Jay's sacrifice hit Caitlin the hardest. She had grown fond of the older man over their short time together and if anything, his sacrifice brought her and Barry closer together. It was shortly after their return from Earth-2 that the truth about Jay was discovered. Cisco vibed Zoom's identity when he touched Caitlin while she was holding Jay's helmet. They didn't want to believe it but it was the truth. It made Barry angry and frustrated with these memories.

He'd given up his speed to save Wally in the original timeline but here it was to save Iris and Barry did it with full confidence that Caitlin could hold her own as the Flash until they found some way to regain his powers since Zoom didn't want to take Caitlin's speed away. In the original timeline Caitlin wasn't a speedster so Barry figured She'd be safe with her powers, but he was wrong. When Zoom abducted Caitlin, Barry nearly broke and felt completely responsible. He had pushed her into that situation even when she told him she didn't know if she could face Hunter and she paid the price in psychological torture. In the original timeline Zoom used Caitlin as leverage to make Barry race him but in this timeline it was Joe who was used as the final piece of bait.

The race between the three speedsters ended the same way as it originally was supposed to. The only other difference between his memories and reality was that apparently in the original timeline Zoom never killed his father, a heart attack did that. But in this current time line Barry helplessly watched as Zoom shoved a hand through Henry's chest, killing the man.

Unable to cope with the loss Barry made the bold choice to return to that night and stop Eobard from killing his mother.

Everything was different when he returned to the present. Iris and Joe didn't know him. Cisco was a billionaire running Ramon Industries. Wally was the Flash of that world with his own Rouges. They only one he knew was Caitlin and that was only because she was working as a doctor at his father's clinic. The only good thing about that world was that his parents were alive. But when Barry's memories began to change and he began to forget his previous life he knew he had to make a choice between the life he sort-of wanted and the life he originally had.

With an extremely heavy heart Barry made his choice and returned everything to the way it was. He came back to the present and only he knew of the changes. No one else did.

Barry veered to the right and pulled a man out of the way of a car that ran through a red light. He put the man down and kept running this time towards his day job. He couldn't help but let his mind drift to the memories. Almost all of the ones he could recall were of happier times while all the ones holding crucial information about future events were buried deep in his subconscious. It was like time didn't want him knowing what could possibly happen.

Barry ran and pulled half a dozen people out of a burning building between his thoughts. He finished saving the day and looked at his watch. His eyes widened when he realized he was going to be late. He had to go get his suit, his dress suit not the one he was wearing.

As he ran back to his house to get changed he began to think about his new-old memories. Maybe it was for the best that he couldn't see things coming. Controlling everyone's lives is no way for any of them to live. And if he could live everyday with all those happy memories then that was good enough for him.

* * *

Caitlin looked herself over in the mirror. Her blue dress hugged her body a little too well in her opinion stopping just below her knees. After all the craziness that had happened she was going on her first official date with Barry. OK, maybe not a date per say. More like she was his plus one to Iris and Eddie's dress rehearsal and dinner.

They all had been through so much over the last two years that this was a welcome break. Iris and Eddie's wedding was certainly a welcomed one.

Following the whole debacle with the singularity and the time traveling versions of Barry, Herself and Eobard Thawne the team had to deal with new threats from a place they called Earth 2 courtesy of someone they had trusted, Hunter Zolomon, better known as Jay Garrick or better still, Zoom,

'Jay' had waltzed into STAR Labs one day telling Barry and Caitlin he was there to help them defeat Zoom. After some distrust 'Jay' seamlessly integrated himself into their team with Caitlin and Barry looking up to him as an older brother. Caitlin and Jay had grown close after Ronnie and Professor Stein left for Pittsburg alongside a third component to Firestorm, Jefferson 'Jax' Jackson. While Caitlin and Jay began to go on a few dates Barry proceeded to pursue a relationship with Joe's new Partner, Patty Spivot.

There was something about their new love lives that just didn't sit right with neither Barry nor Caitlin and soon Patty left to pursue a career in forensic science while Caitlin discovered Jay was dying.

A few weeks later they got another visitor from Earth-2; Harrison Wells or Harry as Cisco affectionately called him. The New Team Flash worked well together until they decided to go to Earth-2 to rescue Harry's daughter Jesse. Barry, Cisco and Wells went to the other world while Caitlin, Jay Joe Eddie and Iris stayed behind to protect the city.

On Earth 2 Barry and Cisco met almost everyone's doppelgängers. Barry was a normal human married to Earth-2 Iris West, Cisco was a criminal meta-human named Reverb, Ronnie was an Evil Firestorm named Deathstorm and Caitlin was her evil counterpart named Killer Frost.

Barry's team barely escaped from Earth-2 but not without a cost. Just before the final portal was closed Zoom's hand reached through and he put a hole through Jay, killing the man. To honor Jay's memory Caitlin began to wear Jay's helmet instead of the cowl like Barry did. She didn't care if people saw her face if it meant they could see a reassuring real person behind the mask.

Things then slowly returned to 'normal' until the team discovered Jay and Zoom were one in the same. The reveal hurt everyone especially Caitlin since she had opened her heart up to the Speedster from Earth-2. It pushed Barry and Caitlin to both get even faster, which they succeeded in doing and when the time came for them to fight Zoom they very nearly won until Zoom took Wally and threatened to kill him if Barry and Caitlin didn't give up their speed. They complied but after Barry gave up his speed to Zoom the dark speedster left the Flash and stole Caitlin away back to his earth.

She had been Zoom's prisoner for several weeks, he kept her cuffed with a device that disrupted her powers preventing her escape. It was there that Caitlin met Killer Frost and after a small 'heart to heart' she freed the other Caitlin in the hopes that they could escape together. Unfortunately, Killer Frost immediately moved to kill Caitlin rather than remove the device blocking her powers. She was killed by Zoom who was returning to his lair just in time to save Caitlin from Frost.

It was here, Caitlin asked about the man in the Iron Mask and why would Zoom keep him alive. Hunter began to gloat to her about how during his search for a cure he found the man on Earth-3 and how the man in the mask was none other than the real Jay Garrick.

Zoom eventually took Caitlin back to Earth-1 so that they could rule over the multiverse together. Caitlin continuously pushed him away despite all his pleas and advances Hunter just wasn't the man she's fallen in love with. She remained Zoom's prisoner until he told her that in an attempt to regain his speed Barry died leaving Caitlin broken.

Fed up with her constant dejections of his affection Zoom offered her a choice; Stay and be his queen or return to her friends and die. Caitlin made the choice to return to her friends where she discovered Barry was not dead simply stuck in the Speed Force. With the help of Cisco and Harry they managed to open a breech into the Speed Force so Caitlin could slip in and pull Barry out. She managed to do so with the help of Iris and Cisco to pull them back.

Their adventures in dealing with Earth-2 culminated in a final race with Zoom to determine who was the fastest speedster. Barry and Caitlin raced Zoom and were beating him when Barry created a time remnant to stop Zoom's machine from destroying the multiverse. With his machine destroyed and his body broken by the two speedsters Zoom refused to admit defeat until two time wraiths burst forth from the Speed Force and Transformed Zoom into a withered husk coated in crimson lightning. Caitlin shared one last look with the shell of the man she fell for before he was hauled away by the Wraiths into the Speed Force.

Unfortunately, their victory was not without sacrifice. To goad Barry into racing him Zoom abducted and murdered Henry. It didn't help Barry emotionally when they freed the real Jay Garrick and discovered that he was the doppelganger of Henry, just with a different name. it turns out Jay's mother and father never got married so he was raised as a Garrick instead of an Allen and he was named Jason after his maternal grandfather. Barry was so broken up about losing his father and meeting a man with Henry Face but no connection to Barry that he left the city for a week.

When he returned things had changed. There was a new evil Speedster named Savitar claiming the Speed Force for himself because he was the self-proclaimed 'God of Speed.' Barry and Caitlin managed to take down Savitar and his Speed Cult but Savitar escaped before they could lock him away. The disappearance of Savitar made way for a new enemy named Dr. Alchemy and he hit Team Flash hard.

Dr. Alchemy kidnapped Caitlin's mother, Dr. Carla Tannhauser, when she came to Central City and in a sick twist of events he activated her Meta-human Gene and transformed her into the Killer Frost of Earth-1. Turns out the Meta-Human Gene is hereditary like all other genomes and varied person to person depending on the reality but typically it stayed within the family. Fighting her mother had been difficult and it opened old wounds involving her father, Ronnie, and herself, but she managed to get through it with the help of Cisco and Barry. It was painful, but Caitlin knew she had to lock her mother away in the pipeline until they could find a way to remove her powers, that was months ago.

Dr. Alchemy and Savitar were still at large but that didn't mean they couldn't live their lives.

A knock on her door drew her attention away from her reflection.

"Just a second!" She finished putting in her earrings and raced to the door opening it to reveal Barry standing there wearing a black suit with a red tie and a bouquet made of a dozen roses.

"Are those all for me?" She eyed the roses quite surprised

"Uh yeah, I uh…I hope this doesn't seem like too much."

Caitlin's mind drifted back to her date with the Older-Barry. It started similarly and ended differently. "No not at all. You're so sweet Barry." She gave him a bright smile as she quickly flashed the roses into a vase.

"So" Barry rocked on his toes. "Are you ready to go?"

"Let's go" She said with a smile.

* * *

The two speedsters arrived at the venue a few seconds later at exactly seven o'clock.

"Barry! Caitlin! You made it!" Iris ran over and embraced her friends.

"We wouldn't miss it for the world." Caitlin said

"Great to see you guys." Barry shook Eddie's hand. Glancing over his shoulder Barry noticed that all of their friends were there, even the ones from the parallel earths and almost all of them brought a plus one with a few exceptions. Oliver was there with a recently redeemed Earth-2 Laurel Lance, Diggle brought his wife, Thea's date was Roy, Kurtis came with his husband, Sara brought both Nyssa and Leonard as her dates, Ray came with Mari, Kendra brought Carter. Wally took Jesse as his date, Jay, the real one, was there with Dr. McGee as his date, Cisco took Lisa, though neither of them could avoid Snart's intense gaze. Professor Stein had brought Clarissa, Ronnie passed up on the invitation alongside Rip Hunter and Jax

The only one without a date was Felicity. She hadn't followed Future Barry's advice and still pursued a relationship with Oliver and when that fell apart there was no one there for her. Barry did feel bad for her but in all honesty Felicity brought it on herself. They were also joined by Eddie's family, though Barry didn't really know any of them.

"Looks like we got here a little late." Barry said turning to Caitlin.

"Nonsense, you two are right on time." Iris countered "We purposely told you six forty-five so you'd be on time."

"You went out of your way to make sure we would be on time?" Iris and Eddie nodded. "This is why I love you." Barry said embracing Iris in a tight hug.

"Well, now that everyone is here." Eddie picked up a wine glass. "Excuse me! Attention everyone!" No one seemed to hear him.

"**PHWET**!" Iris whistled loudly getting everyone's attention.

"Thanks Babe." Eddie gave Iris a quick kiss. "Alright, first of all I want to thank you all for coming. I know things have been…strange over the last few years. We've met new people, lost others and through it all" He looked to Iris. "Some of us have been made stronger from these crucibles."

"What my beloved fiancé is trying to say in his own roundabout way is that We all had a crazy year so it's nice to have some normalcy."

Eddie chuckled. "That's not what I was going to say. What I was going to say was that it's easy for two people to start dating, but it's even rarer for two soulmates to fall in love. And when I am here with Iris, I feel like I fall in love with her all over again every single day. For that I couldn't be happier."

Everyone smiled and raised their glasses to toast the happy couple and the celebration got underway.

Near the end of the evening, while Cisco was making a fool of himself Barry and Caitlin slipped away from the crowd.

"So, Iris and Eddie are actually getting married." Caitlin said first. She knew this had to be a little heart breaking for Barry. She knew he still loved Iris and a part of him always would.

"Yeah…I guess so…" Barry's mind drifted to the memories he had of his future-self's married life to Iris. "You know…I always thought in the end it would be me and Iris and when I got these memories of us being married with two wonderful twins…"

"It sounds like despite all the horrendous things the other you saw, he had a good life." Barry smiled.

"We've seen some crazy things the last two years. Time Travel."

"Other Earths and doppelgangers."

"But that's what our lives consist of." Barry said turning to Caitlin taking in each feature of her face. Caitlin turned to Barry and gave him a smile. "You know, there is something that I've got that the other Barry didn't have."

"And what's that?" Barry answered Caitlin's question by closing the distance between them and planting his lips onto hers. The two speedsters seemingly melted into each other's arms as they made the kiss last for an eternity.

"It's you Cait." Barry said after breaking the kiss. "I mean, this you… Not the you he obviously had I mean-" Caitlin shut him up by reconnecting her lips with his.

"So, uh…does this mean we're dating now?" Barry asked when they broke apart.

"I don't know Mr. Barry Allen. You tell me if we're official now?"

"I think we are Dr. Snow."

"Good, then it isn't just me who's thinking that." They kissed again for a solid two minutes. "Maybe we should take this elsewhere, before we do anything too rash."

"So, your place or mine?" Barry asked

"I say we race, winner decides. Loser has to do everything the winner wants for the night."

Barry smirked "You're on Dr. Snow." The two speedsters took off with smiles blazing across their faces as yellow and blue lightning illuminated the city.

* * *

**THAT'S AN OFFICIAL WRAP PEOPLE! THIS STORY IS OVER! **

**LOOK FOR THE SEQUEL AND THE HALLOWEEN PIECE!**

**HALLOWEEN: _THE FLASH: BLOODY HALLOWEEN_**

**SEQUEL: _THE FLASH: SURVIVAL OF THE FASTEST_ **

Please tell me what you liked, didn't like, look forward to/think will happen, or your general thoughts and comments, this'll help me make this story better; I'm a big boy so I can take criticism.

Have a Fantastic Day or Night


	23. SEQUEL

THE SEQUEL IS OUT! I REPEAT THE SEQUEL IS OUT!

CHECK IT OUT NOW! ITS ON MY PROFILE

-Clash of the Legends


End file.
